Dual! WTEL: Ageless Souls: Desert Heart
by COHugh
Summary: Dual! What is This Emotion: Love? Part 3 (of 4), "Ageless Souls" Part 1 (of 2). 6 years after Episode 14, Dee and Kazuki find themselves trapped on a barron world fighting for their lives. What tie does Dee have with the inhabitants of this planet?
1. Part 1

"Ageless Souls: Desert Heart"   
By COHugh  
  
NOTE 1:  
  
Before I begin, I must thank the people with whom I have discussed some of the various plot elements you will see in this story, amongst them MonkeyMan8, Lunatic Jedi, Ntsc, and others. Without their insight, I might not have ever come up with some of the interesting plot twists you are about to read. To all of those responsible and my fans, thank you. - COHugh/Dave  
  
NOTE 2:  
  
As with my other stories posted on this site, formatting changes had to be made in order to denote scene changes and so that you know a robot is speaking telepathically with its pilot.  
  
"Atropos! Lachesis! Clotho!"  
  
The three pilots of the core robots replied in unison, "Right!" Like vultures, they quickly surrounded the stunned Zinv unit, restraining him as their leader had ordered prior to the mission's beginning.  
  
Dr. Sanada shouted over the comlink, "Dee! You're the closest one to Kazuki; do you think you can get over there and save him?"  
  
Dee winced as the shell exploded near her and Persephone. Quickly studying the situation, she shook her head. "I can get there, but I don't think I'll make it before..."  
  
The dark unit that appeared upon the battlefield shocked the entire assembled forces. From the few exposed parts remaining on its surface, they could tell that it once was Unit One. The horrific creature that stood before them now, however, was not of Earthly origin. Dee stared in horror, realizing what was standing before Kazuki.  
  
"Himc!"  
  
Her core robot roared and sprang to life, charging at full speed towards the scene in a hopeless attempt to save Kazuki. Mitsuki Yotsuga, shaking the dazed look off of her face, followed suit. Scanning the battlefield, she knew that there was no way she'd reach Kazuki before Mitsuki was done with him, but she had to try. She had to save her husband.  
  
Kazuki's voice could be heard over the intercom. "M-M-M-Mitsuki?"  
  
A cold voice that was instantly recognized as Ms. Ra spoke, "Yes, Kazuki- kun. It is I, my dear sweet lover." The atrocity moved towards Zinv, who was struggling against the three units holding him against the asteroid with no success. It gently reached over and brushed his cheek, it's cold dark fingers grating against Zinv's face. "How are you feeling, my dear?"  
  
"Mitsuki, what happened to you," Kazuki stared in horror at the black mass before him. Zinv was shouting a mile a minute in his head, cursing in some unintelligible language, but basically telling him to move and move quickly. Unfortunately, his former comrades were not going to allow this.  
  
Ms. Ra's cold laugh could be heard over the comlink. "My dear Kazuki-kun, I was granted with a gift. Hera and I merely wish to give you this gift as well." Hartzenen, now known as Hera, moved closer to Zinv, the distance becoming uncomfortable.  
  
"W-What are you doing, Mitsuki," Kazuki began to panic; unable to silence the screams Zinv was yelling in his mind and unable to escape. He struggled with all his might, even releasing the light hawk wings that had spared him so many times before, but to no avail. He wasn't going to be moving unless Hera wanted him to.  
  
"My lover, you do not understand... You should rejoice, not fear what I am to give you. Here, let me show you," Hera moved closer to Zinv, the distance between the two mere inches now.  
  
"Stop calling me that! I don't belong to you, Ms. Ra!"  
  
"My, my! So feisty! We shall just have to see what you think after this," Hera closed the small distance between her and Zinv.  
  
Dee screamed in horror as the two core robots locked lips. Unlike the others, she could see the virus being loaded into Zinv's systems. It course through the contact of the lips, spreading quickly throughout his body. The three core robots that had been restraining Zinv released him and moved back a safe distance to watch. Hera, her gift delivered, joined them, the pilot's smile cool and deceitful.  
  
Zinv began clawing at his head and body. Strange pulses could be observed rising and falling along his skin and Kazuki's screams of horror and pain could be heard by anyone on the open channel. Mitsuki Yotsuga stared in disbelief as her lover lay on the asteroid's surface writhing in agony. Her ETA was too long. At this rate, he might be dead before she could reach him.  
  
Dr. Sanada's worried voice came through the com, "Mitsuki! Dee! Zinv's systems are going critical! Get out of there, now!"  
  
"But dad, I can't leave him," Mitsuki's pleas barely broke through her tears.  
  
"You must! If you don't, you might die!"  
  
"I don't care!" Katana roared, echoing the sentiment before springing forward at a surprising speed toward their injured mates.  
  
Dee also continued approaching the ailing core robot, tears rolling down her face. The others had no idea what was happening to Kazuki and Zinv, but somehow deep down she knew. Zinv was becoming one of them, one of the enemies.  
  
A voice entered Dee's mind, "Help... Me... K-Ku..."  
  
Dee screamed in shock. Somehow she knew it was Zinv, but how was he talking to her? He could only talk to Kazuki directly.  
  
Zinv: "Save him. Save Kazuki."  
  
Zinv stopped clawing at his body and looked towards Unit Three, which was still speeding towards them. The moment of shared thought was apparent between the two. Dee depressurized the cockpit of her core robot and opened the doors, accelerating faster than any of the tests had said her robot could go.  
  
Zinv, with his last ounce of strength, plunged his hand into his own chest, removing the screaming pilot from within. Spotting Persephone as she sped past the four enemy units, he aimed and threw the pilot out into the unforgiving void of space, praying that she would reach his brother before the others would.  
  
Ms. Ra stared in disbelief for a moment, but quickly gathered her wits about her. "Seize that pilot!"  
  
The three units replied in unison, "Right," and began speeding towards him and Unit Three. They smiled with eagerness at first, but quickly realized they would not make it before the enemy unit.  
  
Persephone's outstretched hand caught Kazuki and quickly brought him into her open chest plate before resealing the hatch. His screaming had subsided slightly, but he was still thrashing around violently and speaking in a language Dee had not heard in a long time.  
  
Zinv: "Get out of here. Now."  
  
Dee shouted over the intercom, "Mitsuki, I have him, retreat!"  
  
"Roger!"  
  
The engines on Dee's core robot fired, propelling her past her pursuers who spun around to follow. The dark object looming before her was the only obstacle in her path.  
  
"Release Kazuki-kun and I might allow you to live, my precious little Dee," Ms. Ra spoke softly, but the edge was still apparent in her voice.  
  
"Never!"  
  
"Then you shall die painfully." The Himc/Core Robot crossbreed's eyes glowed a bright red, it's black arm rising to attack.  
  
Suddenly, Zinv began glowing, the hue coloring the surrounding area in a strange reddish-orange.  
  
Zinv: "Do it. You know you still can."  
  
"I can't! I don't remember how!"  
  
Zinv: "It is buried deep within your mind. You can do it. Believe in yourself, Kumu."  
  
Dee closed her eyes and began focusing on a place, any place, far away from where they were currently. As she did so, the enemy pilots and the crew of the artifact ship alike were amazed as the first human-made core robot sprouted light hawk wings. The core robot's arms crossed its chest and its head lowered. A green sphere emerged from Persephone and surrounded her entire body. The space around her began distorting, rippling like waves on an ocean shore. The image of the core robot began distorting as well, finally fading from view just before a large blast from Zinv's location was fired.  
  
The four enemy pilots screamed in agony, but were drowned out by the interference from Zinv's blast.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
The soft green haze that surrounded Persephone and her crew soothed Dee. Forgetting momentarily the war going on around her, she began to remember a place she had visited long ago and wished she could see it again.  
  
The green haze began to dissipate, revealing a now familiar black void. Dee began scanning the radar for any signs of where they were, but was unable to get a direct fix on the artifact ship or Mitsuki Yotsuga's core robot. In fact, she didn't detect any asteroids for thousands of kilometers.  
  
As Persephone turned in space, Dee saw the reason why.  
  
They were orbiting a planet, but not just any planet. It was the planet she had envisioned. What was this place and why was it so important?  
  
The image before her began to flicker and faded away. A small alarm informed her that the core robot's power was almost completely drained. Whatever she just did apparently drained the main battery and the reserves. It would be hours before Persephone would recharge enough to be able to fight again.  
  
Unfortunately, gravity had other plans for her. As they drifted closer and closer to the planet, Dee strapped Kazuki down to her seat as best she could, securing herself to it as well. Normally, she would have enjoyed such an experience, but this was no time for such things.  
  
Persephone began shaking as she came into contact with the atmosphere. Dee was not concerned with the atmosphere of the planet, but the thought of an impact from reentry frightened her immensely. She closed her eyes and hung onto Kazuki, praying that some miracle would spare them both.  
  
As they fell, the core robot turned its body slightly. Dee assumed it was going to absorb most of the impact with its back and thanked it quietly for its service to her.  
  
Suddenly, the jets on Persephone's backfired, slowing the mass enough to bring it out of terminal velocity. The robot must have saved enough energy to protect her crew. They would be spared, but Persephone...  
  
The hard slam onto the surface prevented Dee from continuing this line of thought. As her and Kazuki's body flew forward, her head slammed against the hatch, knocking her unconscious.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
"So, do you think it's salvageable?"  
  
"Yeah, it looks like it's just some superficial damage to the backside. I think we could sell some of the parts for scrap down in Edos. Get up here and help me with the hatch. The lock isn't functioning and we're going to have to pry it open."  
  
The young man climbed up obediently and helped his friend pull on one side of the cockpit door. "I've never seen a core robot like this one before. It must be a new Elev model."  
  
His friend shook his head no. "Nah, it's too crude to be from the Elev. Must be an old hunk of junk some Adome thought would win against a Himc, poor sap."  
  
The metal finally giving way, the two pulled away the door and peered inside, hoping that the stench from the dead pilot's body would have aired out by this time. As their eyes adjusted, they noticed the two pilots. The Adome was no surprise despite his clothing. They had seen many of their kind lost in this fashion. The other, however, was another matter.  
  
"It's an Elev! What's an Elev doing with an Adome," the younger of the two asked his elder friend, who had turned quite pale.  
  
"T-T-That's no normal Elev. It's a D-D-D..."  
  
"It's a what?"  
  
The elder had begun backing away from the cockpit, wishing to put as much distance between him and the atrocious being before him as possible.  
  
"What is it, Gan?"  
  
The Adome hopped into their transport vessel and shouted back to his friend, "Get in here, now! We're leaving!"  
  
"But why! This robot is worth five hundred dulkars at least!"  
  
"That other pilot makes the price too high. Let's go!"  
  
The younger, not wishing to hike for days in the desert alone, began climbing down. As he approached the vehicle, he asked his scared companion, "Who is she?"  
  
"What... What is she," Gan corrected him.  
  
Sighing, he continued, "Fine! 'What' is she?"  
  
"She's a Daughter of Kumu."  
  
The younger man paled at the realization, muttering quietly, "Let's get out of here, now!" The two sped away from the craft, putting as much distance as possible between them and the abomination that lay within the core robot.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Dee slowly opened her eyes. The full moon in the night sky was clearly visible through a strange hole in Persephone's main hatch. Quickly remembering her situation, she checked Kazuki for injuries. He seemed fine, but was clearly hallucinating. He continued calling for Mitsuki and Zinv and would throw his arms up every now and then, but he was physically sound. Dee then turned her attention towards the emergency supplies.  
  
Most of the supplies had been damaged in the crash landing, but some of the water and food was still consumable. The first aid kit had definitely seen better days, but would suffice for the time being until they could be rescued.  
  
A soft orange glow caught her eye. Peeking out of the freshly created hole in the hatch, she saw the gathering of torches around Persephone. Hushed murmurs of some ancient tongue she barely recognized were spreading amongst the crowd that surrounded her.  
  
Dee hesitated, but decided that the only way to help Kazuki was to make contact with them. Climbing fully out of the cockpit, Dee stood on top of the remaining hatch door and removed her helmet, shaking her hair slightly to try and loosen it a little. The crowd became quite loud as she did this; multiple shouts and even the sounds of a few women fainting reached Dee's ears.  
  
Looking out over the assembled crowd, she tried to pick out a leader, but could not find one. She finally just stated to any interested party, "Um... Hello. I'm Dee Sanada. I come from Earth. I'm sorry if I landed on your village or something, but it was not intentional. I will help with any repairs if need-be."  
  
The crowd just stared at her, a look of fear on their faces.  
  
"... Or not. Anyway, I have an injured friend who needs immediate medical attention," Dee moved towards the cockpit to remove Kazuki, only to hear the uproar from the assembled mass.  
  
Instantly, five men sprang onto Persephone and grabbed Dee. A sixth entered the cockpit and removed Kazuki, slinging the pilot over his shoulder. Dee began struggling with her captors, trying to break free of their grip.  
  
"I come in peace! Let me go!"  
  
The entire crowd parted as Dee passed them, some of the younger children spitting on her as she passed. The women, of whom there were few, huddled away from her, the fear most apparent in their eyes.  
  
As she quickly saw their eyes, Dee recognized the purple hue in some of them as similar to her own. The man carrying Kazuki carefully set him down next to the group of women. They swarmed around him and began removing his uniform, checking him for any injuries.  
  
A blow to the stomach brought Dee back to the fact that she was being captured. As they drug her through the desert, Dee screamed, "Where are you taking me? I demand to speak to someone in charge! Why are you doing this?"  
  
Her cries were met with silence. Eventually, she stopped screaming and struggling, thankful that they were at least apparently going to help Kazuki. The dunes seemed unrelenting, but the kidnappers finally reached a small village approximately two hours after Dee was forced to leave Persephone. She could hear the various shouts from her captors, but still had trouble understanding their words. The main word that for some reason struck a cord with her was 'abomenun'. Dee had a gut feeling it meant something bad and referred to her directly.  
  
They brought her to a small hut in the center of town. Inside, a large indigenous rock sat in the center of the otherwise empty room. A pair of shackle-like devices were attached to the rock and were currently being opened by two of her assailants. It was obvious to Dee that she was in some sort of prison, but why were they doing this? She had done nothing to them to warrant such treatment.  
  
She began dragging her feet, begging to be let go or to at least see Kazuki. Her requests fell on deaf ears. The men shackled Dee to the rock and left the room. Dee, battered and exhausted by the ordeal, was now left alone in the strange cell.  
  
Her nose began to itch.  
  
As she reached over to scratch it, the arm restraint held her hand a good distance away. She tried leaning her head against the rock, but only received a scratch on her face as a reward. Dee tried to ignore it, but the itch continued. Unable to do anything else and feeling more than a little hopeless, Dee began to sob until she finally drifted to sleep...  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Gan peeked through the flap, squinting and trying to make out the form beyond. "Hey Ablo, I think it's asleep," he whispered to his friend, who nervously shuffled behind him. It had taken Gan two days, but finally his morbid curiosity had overcome his initial fear of the thing they had found out in the desert.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah! Let's go," Gan pushed the flap back and began walking into the makeshift prison.  
  
Ablo grabbed his arm, "I don't think this is such a good idea. What if it carries the Liquidator?"  
  
Gan rolled his eyes at his younger companion. "If she did we'd be dead by now, genius."  
  
"Ah, this is true, Ablo considered this for a moment, letting go of his friend's arm. This allowed Gan to proceed into the poorly lit tent unabated. "Wait for me!"  
  
Gan quickly silenced his companion's loud whisper. When they were children, the elders told them of the strange powers that Daughters of Kumu possessed. While Gan didn't necessarily believe any of these stories, it was always better to err on the side of safety. The quieter they could be, the better. The last thing they needed was a conscious Elev that could wreak havoc in their minds or some other such horror.  
  
It stirred slightly, sniffling before drifting back to sleep.  
  
Gan removed his hand from his chest, which he had placed there to prevent his heart from leaping from it. Continuing to close the gap very slowly, they both eyed it suspiciously. Sure, it seemed attractive enough, but they knew what it was capable of.  
  
"Do you think it knows we're here," Ablo, his voice shaking, queried.  
  
"It will if you keep talking."  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
Gan growled softly. Sometimes he wished that he wasn't the youngest adult of the tribe. All the others his age had gone off to Edos to join the Corp and had not returned home since. He would have gone with them, but he was sick and couldn't handle the ride to town. Now he was stuck here, playing big brother to Ablo and the remaining children of the tribe.  
  
He tiptoed over to the imprisoned subject, watching it breath the dry desert air deeply. At this distance, it seemed like the Adome women. If it weren't for the green hair and the deep purple hue of her eyes, he would have found it very attractive. He finally understood why the Adome from the original Edenora had allowed some of them into their homes. Of course, if they had known what the green-haired vixens had planned for them, they would have killed them all on the spot and burned the bodies in a great pyre.  
  
Its eyes opened and locked onto his. The fear in its eyes seemed to match the fear that it could see in his. As it spoke, Gan tilted his head. The words made no sense to him at all. He turned to ask his friend, but one look at Ablo, who had paled greatly and was obviously having trouble remaining upright, told Gan that he had no clue. 


	2. Part 2

Dee, her eyes beginning to water, asked her captors again, "May I please have something to drink? It's been days and I'll die soon if I don't! Please don't kill me!" Her pleas seemed to be falling on deaf ears. The two just looked back at each other, too afraid to do anything.  
  
The older one appeared to be asking his companion something. As he spoke, the words 'you' and 'sure' gently passed Dee's ears.  
  
Dee blinked, her tears rolling down her cheeks. She had understood some of what the man had said to his companion. It sounded almost as if their language had originated from the Latin language on Earth. Dee tried to remember some of her Latin lessons from high school, but the closest language she could still remember was English.  
  
Carefully finding the right words, she begged, "Water... Please... Water..."  
  
The elder's head quickly jerked back towards her. He took a few steps back, apparently shocked that he had understood her request. "Water?"  
  
Dee's face brightened. Finally, they understood each other. Now all she had to do was explain that she was not an enemy...  
  
"No." The younger man approached the older one and began tugging at his shirt, trying to get him away from the thing bound in the center of the room. He continued with an excuse, which Dee could not understand. The elder finally acknowledged the words of the younger and turned with him, leaving Dee bound to the rock.  
  
Dee cried after them, tugging on the chains as hard as she could, "No! Don't leave me, dammit!" She stopped tugging for a moment, surprised at her own use of the word. Never had she even considered saying such things, but this experience was not bringing the best out of her.  
  
Resting her head back on the rock, Dee resigned herself to another night without food or drink. If this kept up a few more days, she knew she would be dead. She would have begun to cry, but her tear ducts were finally too dry to permit any more than a small trickle to escape. She closed her eyes and prepared for another restless night.  
  
The soft patter of feet awoke her from her light sleep.  
  
As Dee looked up, she could just make out the figure of the man from earlier. He carried a small vessel that he held up to her lips and slowly poured without saying a word.  
  
Dee drank eagerly; suppressing a coughing fit until after the vessel had been removed from her parched lips. She smiled at the man, who had simply turned and was exiting the room.  
  
As he ducked to leave out the flap, he began speaking in his strange tongue. Most of the words Dee could not understand, but some of his final words sounded like 'Adome' and 'Elev'. Finished with his monologue, he left her alone.  
  
Dee's face had visibly paled. She wasn't sure why, but something deep inside her recognized those words. It was as if they should have held some particular meaning to Dee, but she could not place it. She pondered their meaning silently for untold hours before finally drifting off to sleep.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Zinv: "Remember."  
  
"Zinv?"  
  
Zinv: "Remember, Kumu."  
  
"Remember what?"  
  
With a flash, dead men and boys surrounded Dee. The scene was hauntingly familiar to her. Wading through the bodies, her tear-filled eyes focused on one of the young men at her feet.  
  
"Earu!"  
  
The bodies disappeared and she was suddenly on a strange ship. Looking around, she began realized it was the artifact battleship the Rara Army was once based out of. People she had never met, mostly men, passed by her, saluting or just smiling and giving her a friendly hello.  
  
Dee winced and grabbed her right arm with her left hand. It instantly felt heavy and ached severely. As she feel to the floor, the men continued to pass by her, their words becoming less and less muddled. Full sentences began forming around her.  
  
"We're out of Elev space."  
  
"We did it!"  
  
"We would not have succeeded if it weren't for you..."  
  
Dee removed her hand from her arm. Slowly, a hole opened. A strange gas began spreading from the open wound, its aroma acrid. The passers by began to choke, grasping at their throats in vain as they dropped one by one to the floor.  
  
The sole remaining man crawled towards her, grabbing her shoulders. "Why? Why do this to us?"  
  
Dee was crying, truly pitying those that surrounded her. Unable to answer, her instincts kicked in and replied for her, "I-I-I didn't know. I thought I was different. I'm sorry."  
  
Accepting this answer, the man let go of Dee and slumped over, his body going limp.  
  
Dee rose in horror, backing away from all of bodies that lay around her.  
  
Zinv: "Remember."  
  
"No!" Dee's eyes shot open, the nightmare fully awakening her. As she looked around, she noticed the sun's rays creeping in from underneath the flap before her.  
  
Soon, she would most likely have visitors. She wasn't sure how she knew this, but she did. Attempting to clear her eyes, she tried to wipe them on her shoulder, again to no avail. Sighing heavily, she awaited the guests she knew would arrive shortly.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
The dust from the surrounding area caused a large yellow cloud to form around the core robot as it landed, its exterior color blending in to it perfectly. The small crowd that had gathered to witness its arrival muttered nervously as it disappeared from sight, but applauded as the dust settled and its ancient form was revealed.  
  
It slowly turned and began walking towards the crowd. Everyone, including the small children, stared in awe at its massive hull, a look of joy upon their faces. Where this robot tread, no evil would fall.  
  
It kneeled before the masses; it's crest-covered chest mere meters from the sand dune they were waiting with anticipation upon. As the crest parted, a hiss of pressurized air escaped from within. The doors slid open, revealing the core robot's occupants to the crowd, who cheered and welcomed their guests with open arms.  
  
The pilot removed his helmet, smiling and waiving to the children below him. "If only the Elev would great us so warmly," he commented to his companion, who was simply looking out over the crowd.  
  
As the elder man carefully removed his helmet, the crowd fell silent.  
  
His one remaining eye glared over them. Why were they rejoicing so? Were they not aware of the terror in their midst? His gaze removed some of the levity of their attitude from the assembled people.  
  
"Must you always do that?"  
  
The elder simply bowed his head towards the younger pilot. The young had a tendency to not appreciate the seriousness of situations. Secretly, he admired this facet of their being, but he would never tell them this.  
  
Looking back over the crowd, his stern tone rang forth from the core robot's chest plate, "A healer was summoned. I have come. Where is the abomination?"  
  
A large man, apparently the leader of the group, stepped forward nervously, pointing off into the distance. "Our camp is a few maheds in that direction."  
  
Nodding, the healer stepped back into the cockpit, motioning for his pilot to follow. He replied to the man below as the cockpit sealed shut, "Take us there."  
  
Obediently, the crowd began hiking towards their camp. The core robot cautiously followed behind the crowd, the pilot watching for small children the entire time. Children were rare for the Adome and each one was a valuable commodity, almost as much as a functioning core robot without a limiter was.  
  
The encampment was well developed for a desert tribe. The healer could make out numerous small tents and structures, some even constructed in part with metal. The bright reflections caused his one good eye to squint as they approached.  
  
The in-cockpit speaker crackled as the leader informed the two men of their arrival. Wiggling his finger in his ear, the pilot muttered, "Damn... I thought they had fixed that. Sounds worse than it was before the last battle."  
  
The healer smirked, "You know that we have little knowledge of the ancient technology. We're lucky this unit can walk, let alone fight. Count your blessings."  
  
The pilot nodded, kneeling once more and opening the cockpit's doors. The two tossed ropes over the sides and rappelled down to the desert below them, the elder huffing the entire time, but fully capable of hauling himself down. In his better days, he could mount or dismount a core robot in under a minute. Oh how he missed those times.  
  
"This way, this way," members of the crowd chanted, waiving the healer towards a nearby tent. A couple of them stepped forward and held the flaps open, allowing him and his assistant access to the injured pilot within.  
  
The first thing that struck him was the uniform. It was neither Adome nor Elev in origin. The healer had never seen anything like it. His face seemed different as well. It looked like theirs, but some of the features were unlike any on this world. Approaching cautiously, he removed one of the few functioning medical scanning devices on the planet from his belt and waived it over his right arm.  
  
"Healer," the anxious tone of the camp leader's voice let the healer know that his concern was shared.  
  
Closing the device, he smiled slightly. "There is no sign of Liquidators in his body. He's clean."  
  
They all collectively sighed in relief. At least this one would not be harmful to their camp. Continuing with his scans, the healer attempted to place his area of origin, but could not find anything on file that directly matched him. Internally, they were very much the same, but there were minuet details that were different. He'd never seen an Adome like him before. As for his reported symptoms of thrashing around and muttering incoherently, the healer assigned these to a high fever that must have broken before he could arrive.  
  
Turning to the camp leader, he put away the delicate device. "I hope you have room for him. He'll be up and about in less than two conords."  
  
The leader nodded, turning to one of his assistants and ordering him to prepare a tent. He faced the healer again and asked, "So, you know their story, what do you think?"  
  
The healer shook his head, resting his ancient body on a nearby stool. "I am uncertain, but I think he was being captured by the Daughter of Kumu that you mentioned in your message," he held up the piece of animal hide that had writing scrawled all over it. "We'll scan it as well and see if it's already deployed its Liquidator or not. If it has not, we'll have to move it immediately to a safe distance, kill it, and burn the remains. It's the only way to ensure our safety. If it has, we'll perform the normal duties whenever a Daughter of Kumu is captured by one of their victims: We'll allow this young man to kill it," he motioned towards the pilot lying before them.  
  
"I suggest," the healer rose from the stool, leaning on his pilot's arm for a few moments until his balance could be regained, "That you have your people make preparations for either scenario. Now, take me to it. We'll go ahead and confirm the level of threat it poses us." He hobbled out of the room, following the leader to the retaining tent where the less reputable members of society spent time for their various deeds.  
  
Holding the flap open, the leader motioned for the healer to enter, his apprehension at even being in the same space as the thing that lay within most apparent. The sight of the grown man cowering in fear caused the healer to chuckle as he entered, unafraid.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Dee squinted as the light hit her eyes.  
  
"Ok, this is seriously old, people! You could at least warn me before you open the flap!"  
  
An old man entered, eyeing her cautiously. As he approached, his hobble reminded her of Reika and how she used to walk around the Academy grounds. She missed those simpler days and longed for a time when she could see Reika, Yayoi, and her remaining friends on Earth again.  
  
The elderly man stepped towards her, opening her right eye and then her left one fully and studying their reactions to light. Dee felt various pokes and prods throughout her body as he continued to study her. Thankfully, he stayed away from her more sensitive areas or he'd have been pulling back a bloody nub. He then removed a familiar-looking device from his belt and began scanning her right arm.  
  
"Hey! Enough of this already! I want to know what I did to deserve this treatment!"  
  
The healer glanced at the subject, intrigued by the new language he had never encountered before. Shrugging after a moment's consideration, he continued his scanning, a strange look spreading across his face. It reminded Dee of Dr. Sanada whenever he was faced with a perplexing problem. He'd study it, run numerous scans, and study some more all with a similar look on his face. He ran the scanner over her arm a few more times before closing it and shaking his head.  
  
He stared into her eyes and began speaking in the foreign tongue Dee had grown accustomed to. She picked out words here and there, but couldn't put them into a tangible sentence structure.  
  
Fed up with the constant torture she was undergoing, Dee glared at the old man and stated in her broken English, "Go to hell, you jerk."  
  
A wide grin appeared on his face. Whatever meaning that had been lost in the translation was picked up through the sheer tone of her voice. Chuckling to himself, he exited the tent, leaving Dee to ponder what had just happened.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
As the tent flapped closed, his grin disappeared.  
  
His assistant approached him, whispering so that the other people going about their business would not overhear them, "Grandfather, what did you find?"  
  
The healer scowled at the question, reminding his grandson, "I told you not to call me that here. I don't want anyone to think you're receiving special treatment."  
  
He lowered his head in shame, "I apologize."  
  
The old man continued, "As for the Daughter of Kumu, it is an oddity. There is no Liquidator in its body. What's more, its right arm, where the Liquidator containment vessel should be stored, has signs of regeneration. It's almost as if it lost its right arm and a new one was attached. Its body also shows signs of extreme stress and age, but its overall health is that of any other young Elev. If it weren't a Daughter of Kumu, I would have liked to study it more in depth. However, its very nature requires an immediate death sentence; we cannot delay this. Once the young pilot awakens, it will die."  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Zinv: "No! Stay away!"  
  
"Zinv? Is that you?"  
  
Zinv: "Help me, Kumu! Save me!"  
  
"Zinv! Where are you?"  
  
Zinv: "Save me!"  
  
Kazuki shot straight up out of the cot-like apparatus. His eyes shifted wildly around the strange surroundings, attempting to lock onto one object that was familiar. Unable to locate anything, he threw his legs over the side of his cot, holding his aching head and moaning slightly.  
  
The ground shifted underneath his feet. Looking down, he noticed the strange texture of the flooring. As the world around him began breaking through his pounding headache, he realized he wasn't on the artifact ship. Trying to recall what had happened, he could only remember Hera kissing Zinv. Everything after that was a blur.  
  
He pushed off the rickety surface, noticing how it descended slightly into the desert sand. How did he end up here? Where were Mitsuki-chan and the others? For that matter, where was Ms. Ra? His head pounded with greater intensity as these problems presented themselves with no clear answer. Grabbing his skull, he winced, not noticing the arrival of a woman until she spoke.  
  
"Yo eieo's jopx wou awake. How do you feel," the words she spoke, which at first sounded as mere gibberish, quickly formed into words Kazuki could understand. It wasn't that her language changed, it was more that some how, deep in his soul, he knew these words and their meaning.  
  
As he pondered this new addition to his worries, he realized it was the same language Zinv had been shouting at him during the kiss. Another brief memory of floating in space struck him, causing Kazuki to lean against a small stand next to his cot.  
  
"Are you alright," the woman moved towards him, a look of concern conveyed through her slightly aged facial features and deep purple eyes.  
  
Kazuki had his first good look at the woman. Gasping, he stated, "Dee! You've grown up! How... How did this happen?" He took a step towards her, inspecting her carefully.  
  
The woman took a step back, fearful that his delusions still had him in their grasp. "My name is Dau. I do not know of this 'Dee'. Was he a friend?"  
  
Kazuki stopped and stared at the woman. She looked a lot like Dee. Maybe she was a relative or something. Shaking his head, he halted his approach and replied, "She and yes, she is my friend."  
  
The woman frowned at him slightly, brushing aside a stray brownish-green hair from her face. "Surely you can't mean that thing that was with you..."  
  
Kazuki cocked his head. "That thing? What thing?"  
  
"The Daughter of Kumu. Don't you remember it capturing you?"  
  
Kazuki froze at the mention of the name Kumu. Images of that strange orb floating in the Rara Army's artifact battleship passed through his mind. If it or another like it were in this place, he was in serious trouble.  
  
He needed to find Zinv fast.  
  
Kazuki cleared the distance between him and the woman in a flash, grasping her shoulders. "Where's Dr. Sanada? Where's Mitsuki? I demand to know!"  
  
Clearly frightened, she stuttered a response, "I-I-I kn-n-now none of those people. You must calm yourself and rest. You've been through a lot," she calmly removed his hands from her shoulders and began guiding him back towards the cot. "You need not fear the Daughter of Kumu, it has been restrained. Soon, we will let you claim justice."  
  
Kazuki froze, turning to face Dau who was gently pushing him towards his original locale. "What does that mean, 'justice'? And what's a daughter of Kumu?"  
  
Dau shook her head, clucking slightly under her breath. "You must have been injured very badly to not remember such things. You will remember in time, however," she smiled and started to push him back towards the cot.  
  
Kazuki stopped her hands from reaching his chest, an annoyed look beginning to cross his face. "No, tell me now. Where am I? Where are my friends? What is a daughter of Kumu?"  
  
Realizing the patient would not calm down until he received answers, Dau nodded and sat on the edge of the cot, motioning for Kazuki to follow. "Before we begin, do you even remember your name?"  
  
Kazuki nodded and quickly replied, "Kazuki."  
  
"Well, K-K-Kazuki," she attempted his pronunciation of his name a few times before getting the basics of it, then continued, "You are on Edenora, home of the Adome, your people and mine."  
  
"My people?"  
  
"Yes. You are Adome, are you not?"  
  
"I'm from Earth! I'm a human!"  
  
Dau's eyes widened. She leapt off of the cot and stared at him for a moment, a look of shock burned into her face. "Earth?"  
  
"Yes. Have you heard of it?"  
  
She nodded, the words unable to reach her lips. Dau slowly backed out of the tent, the shocked gaze never leaving Kazuki. He slowly rose to follow, but by the time he reached the flap, she had disappeared.  
  
Left to his own devices, Kazuki shrugged off the strange encounter that had been cut short. Wincing slightly from his headache as he lifted the flap, Kazuki glanced out and noticed the sun's rays slowly sliding behind a large sand dune. With no one else around, he began walking through what he soon realized was similar to a nomad camp from his home planet.  
  
Most of the tents appeared battered and well used. Few of the materials appeared to be any younger than him. The lack of people in the camp surprised and disturbed Kazuki. He determined that if the camp had been abandoned, it had to have been recently, but there was no sign as to why it was empty. He wondered where Dau could have disappeared to and called her name several times, but received no response.  
  
As the few remaining solar rays disappeared, Kazuki decided he needed to find someone in charge of the camp, if there was anyone remaining, and find out more about where he and his friends were.  
  
Finally discovering a centrally located tent that was larger than the rest, Kazuki assumed that it was the tent of the officials. His pace quickened as he approached. Kazuki threw open the flap, shouting, "Where am I? Where are my friends? I demand answers, now!"  
  
He heard some shifting in the dark that sounded like chains dragging against a hard surface. He also heard the sound of scurrying and something filled with water sloshing around. "Who's there," Kazuki demanded, squinting in part due to the poor light and in part because of the head- splitting headache.  
  
"S-S-S-So, you're awake," the unsteady male voice responded from the dark.  
  
"Yes, I am awake. Who are you? Show yourself!"  
  
The young man stepped towards the flap slowly, a water vessel in his hands. "I am Gan," he paused momentarily, a look of shame slowly spreading across his face. "I know it did horrible things to you and it's the enemy, but it was pleading and it sounded so awful even though I had no idea what it was saying and I just had to help it! Please don't tell the others I was giving it water! I beg you! I'd become an outcast for sure!"  
  
Kazuki, his headache getting the better of him, glared at the young man, "What the hell are you talking about? I asked you where I was and where my friends were!" Kazuki lunged towards the young man who appeared only slightly older than Dee and grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. "I want answers, dammit!"  
  
Gan dropped the pitcher, spilling the precious water across the desert sand. His response slowly stuttered out, "I-I-I-I..."  
  
"Kazuki?"  
  
The weak voice cried from the darkness, barely reaching Kazuki's ears. "Who's there?"  
  
"Kazuki... Is that you?"  
  
"Who is it?" Releasing Gan, Kazuki cautiously stepped into the darkness, allowing his eyes to adjust. He noticed a large structure towards the center of the otherwise bare room and headed towards it. The chains rattled as he approached.  
  
"Kazuki... I thought you were dead! I'm so happy you're alive!"  
  
The soft voice was instantly recognizable to Kazuki. Sprinting across the remaining distance he fell on one knee at Dee's side. "Dee! What the hell did they do to you? Are you ok?"  
  
Dee coughed before raising her face towards Kazuki's. Her small smile was just barely visible in the waning light from outside. "I'm alive. I've felt better, though. Can we go home now?"  
  
Kazuki shook his head. Others would have gone down the list of hardships that Dee had obviously experienced, but not her. "I wish we could, but I have no idea where we are. Do you know?"  
  
"Yes. No. Well, I do... But I don't." Dee's face frowned for a moment. Kazuki and the crew of the artifact ship had learned that this was the look she made when a buried memory was close to the surface. Given time, it might surface fully, but forcing her to remember never worked, so Kazuki left the subject alone.  
  
"Dee, where are the others?"  
  
She shook her head. "I don't know. All I know is Zinv is far away," Dee rested her head on Kazuki's nearby shoulder, closing her eyes.  
  
Kazuki rubbed his temples. From his cursory inspection of the restraints, he knew he wouldn't be able to free Dee on his own. "Why did they do this to you, Dee? Did you say or do something wrong?"  
  
"I don't know. I can't even understand what they're saying to me. All I know is they hate me," Dee sniffled softly, burying her face in Kazuki's shoulder. She continued in a distant tone, "I'm so hungry... Do you think they will let me eat?"  
  
Kazuki, his anger boiling just beneath the his surface, replied coolly, "I don't care if they'll 'let' you. You will eat and you will be released. Immediately." He rose and turned towards the fearful young man who was still standing by the tent flap, his face expressing his awe over the entire situation.  
  
"Y-y-you touched it! Do you not fear the Liquidator? Or, are you a sympathizer," Gan's tone became accusatory, despite his fear of the stranger.  
  
Kazuki cold stare fell upon Gan as he slowly cleared the distance between the two. He glared into the younger man's eyes, attempting to ascertain the reason he was being so cruel to his sister-in-law. Unable to find a reason visually, Kazuki finally responded in a tone that did not betray the fire burning within, "You will release her immediately. You will then find, allocate, and provide her with food and shelter. Neglect to do any of these things and I fear for your safety. Do you understand?"  
  
"But the elders will--"  
  
Kazuki's rage burst. His glare intensified as he came within inches of Gan's face. He shouted, "Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes... I do. May the maker take pity on me for the acts I am about to commit," Gan, after saying this little prayer, approached the opposite side of the rock Dee was attached to. Waiving his hand over the lock, an unseen code was entered, causing the chains to immediately fall to the ground.  
  
Dee attempted to rise, bracing against the rock. She stumbled and began to fall, but Kazuki swiftly caught her and helped her regain her balance.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Dee nodded, giving Kazuki a half-smile, "I suppose I am. Are we leaving now?"  
  
Kazuki sighed. Without knowing where the others were, it would be close to impossible for them to escape. He had honestly not thought this plan out beyond freeing Dee.  
  
The opening of the tent flap informed Kazuki that he didn't need to plan any further that evening.  
  
The older man looked directly at Dee, his eyes widening as he saw her free. "What is the meaning of this? Why is that thing unbound?"  
  
Dee frowned and whispered to Kazuki, "What's he saying?"  
  
Kazuki glanced at Dee. Couldn't she understand what he was saying?  
  
Shaking the confusion off, he whispered back to Dee, "Not right now," before raising his voice to address Dee's former captor, "I have a mind to ask you the same question, sir. Why did you lock Dee to this rock? Why haven't you been feeding her? Where are my companions? Where's Zinv?"  
  
The man's eyes narrowed, mainly to adjust to the poor lighting but also to identify the speaker. Two men and the woman who had introduced herself as Dau were entering the tent slowly, halting behind the man who had addressed the escapees.  
  
The man, who was obviously their leader, spoke, "I am Auth, leader of this tribe. Before I answer any more of your questions, I must ask: Are you a sympathizer?" The tone of his voice told Kazuki that the wrong answer would have unpleasant consequences.  
  
"Sympathizer for whom?"  
  
"The Elev."  
  
Kazuki shrugged with his free shoulder. "I've never heard of them, so I guess I'm not."  
  
"Never heard of them," the false shock pervaded Auth's response. "I find this hard to believe, seeing as one is presently wrapped around your right side as we speak!"  
  
Kazuki looked at Dee. What was this Elev that Auth spoke of? What ties did Dee have with them? Could they be the people she originated from?  
  
"We're from Earth! We've never heard of the Elev! I assure you that we both mean you no harm," Kazuki attempted to talk reason into the man, shifting Dee slightly as his arm began to fall asleep.  
  
Auth grunted as the others accompanying him gasped in amazement. "Yes, so I've heard... If you are from Earth, then I'm a Daughter of Kumu... Just like your friend."  
  
Kazuki winced as the words were spoken again. They were beginning to have some meaning to him, but he could not place it with any tangible thought. Calmly, he inquired, "That is the second time I've heard that term used. What does it mean? Who was Kumu?"  
  
Auth raised an eyebrow at the young man before him. Was he really that injured or was he just stalling until an escape route presented itself? Deciding to play along for the time being, Auth replied, "I suppose you 'Earth-people' would not know of Kumu, the Elev, and their atrocities... Kumu single-handedly plotted against the Adome and used her daughters to destroy most of old Edenora. The survivors were herded like cattle into a village. Thinking they were safe, they slept peacefully until Kumu sent forces that came from the heavens and destroyed their final refuge. The few Adome who survived this horror escaped in the spacecraft the Elev had used to attack. Some of the ships made it to this solar system and, their vessels out of fuel, crash-landed on this world that they called new Edenora. The Elev who pursued them, dishonored in the eyes of Kumu for their failure to finish off the Adome, were banished to this world as well. Their punishment is to hunt us until there is no remaining Adome on this world. Once this mission is complete, they will be allowed to ascend to the heavens once more."  
  
The story was a lot for Kazuki to take in. Dee had to listen to it as well, unable to understand all but a few words. After the silence had proceeded for a few minutes, Dee whispered to Kazuki, "So, uh... What just happened? Did he say we could eat?"  
  
Auth glared at the atrocity before him. "It speaks a foreign tongue, but that means nothing. It is still a Daughter of Kumu and its crimes cannot be over-looked. By law, any such creature that is captured is to be killed by one of its direct victims or their surviving family. If you are not a sympathizer, you will perform this task now," Auth approached Kazuki, placing a knife-like blade in his free hand. "If you are, we shall kill you both." 


	3. Part 3

"Ma'am," the young assistant pushed open the heavy ancient door, hurriedly approaching his master's desk.  
  
The woman, who had been playing with a loose strand of brown hair that possessed a slight greenish tint, focused her hard purple gaze upon him. "What is it, my sweet little man?"  
  
He froze in his step, coming to complete attention. His eyes focused directly ahead as he spoke in an official tone, "Ma'am, we have received word from our spies that a core unit has crash-landed on the planet's surface. Its pilots are currently being held by one of the desert tribes."  
  
The woman sighed, brushing her hair aside. It was a shame that someone had wasted a perfectly good core unit on a futile mission, but once the scavengers got a hold of a machine, it was rarely ever recovered intact. As for the pilots, if they were Elev, they were already dead. "Was it one of our units?"  
  
"No Ma'am. It wasn't an Adome suit either! It's from space!"  
  
The point of origin caught her off-guard. She turned to face the inferior, her eyebrow raised in intrigue. "Oh? And this has been confirmed?"  
  
He nodded, replying, "Yes Ma'am! It is unlike any suit presently on Edenora!"  
  
"Intriguing... Tell me, have they already scrapped it or can we still recover the unit?"  
  
"Actually Ma'am, there's more information on the pilots," the subordinate trailed off, enjoying his momentary usefulness to his master.  
  
Decidedly not amused by his antics, her eyes narrowed. She stated coolly, "Tell me all that you know now or I assure you that you will not enjoy the results, my sweet."  
  
Swallowing hard, he continued promptly, "One of the pilots, a male, is of unknown origin. He's unlike any other Adome in appearance. However, the more important subject is the main pilot. It's... A Daughter of Kumu."  
  
The woman's eyes widened in disbelief. Had they finally come to retrieve their abandoned sisters from this forsaken world after all these centuries? No, that couldn't be it. The remaining Elev on the planet had not completed Her Majesty Kumu's order for every last Adome's removal. Something had obviously caught Kumu or one of her descendants' interests, however. Why else would they send royalty to this planet?  
  
Noticing an opportunity when she saw one, the woman quickly cleared the desk, grabbing her sweet little man by the shoulders. "Tell me she's still alive!"  
  
He smiled slightly. "She is. My sources say she will be for at least another conord."  
  
She giggled with delight, pulling the servant close to her. "Oh you dear, sweet little man! Oh how I enjoy your servitude! You shall be greatly rewarded if you can provide me with her present location!"  
  
His smile widened as he held up the data crystal, stating, "Done, my eternal leader."  
  
She squealed, snatching the crystal from his hand and zooming out the door to her office. If they rescued her in an efficient manner and were able to return her to space, perhaps the Elev sisterhood would smile kindly upon them and lift them off this cursed soil. For the first time in centuries, the Elev of Edenora might again walk amongst the stars.  
  
Her servant, still in tow, inquired, "What should I do to serve you, my lady?"  
  
"Tell the troops to prepare a rescue squad. Inform them of the captive's nature and the obvious good fortune that the maker has shined upon us. Also, see if you can get the old radio equipment working. I want a message sent to the Elev at once informing them of the two down pilots. I'm sure they will be most appreciative," a devious little giggle pervaded her final comments as she entered her quarters and began stripping off her service garb and searched for her pilot uniform.  
  
The sweet man bowed. "As you wish, Ma'am!" He exited her suite and began executing her orders flawlessly. She had trained her pet well.  
  
Finally finding the proper uniform, she threw her legs into the jumpsuit, pulling it swiftly up over her body and zipping the front. If she played her cards right, she might even end up in the royal court. Oh what a glorious world she lived in! Grabbing her helmet, she hurried out of the office building and towards the hanger. The large hanger glowed softly in the late afternoon sun as she approached. She took note of the other Elev who were stuffing long greenish-brown locks into their helmets as they ran.  
  
She slid the doors open, dodging the engineers who were prepping the remaining core units for battle. She casually walked towards the briefing area's stage, attempting to present a calm and collected image to her troops. She greeted her fellow pilots, smiling at a few as she passed.  
  
Stepping up onto the stage before her, she plugged the data crystal into the computer terminal. A holographic map of the surrounding area was displayed before the assembled pilots, its image flickering due to the age of the projector.  
  
Sighing heavily at the poor equipment, the leader turned to the crowd and addressed them, "My fellow Elev, I have no doubt that you already know why I have called you here. One of our sisters... Nay, one of our Great Leaders has been captured by the despicable Adome!" She paused, allowing the murmurs that had spread throughout her gathering to subside before continuing, "It is our duty to liberate this Daughter of Kumu from their dirt and blood-stained hands and exact our vengeance upon them for this crime!"  
  
The cheers of agreement filled her heart with even more joy. Pointing to the map, she highlighted their current location and then moved the cursor towards the enemy's camp. "We will depart immediately and proceed about ten maheds in this direction. After that," she punched a button and a crude map of the nomadic village appeared before them, "We will proceed quickly to this structure in the middle of the camp." The large tent blinked and came into focus, its image burned into the minds of every pilot present. "Nothing is to happen to our precious leader, do I make myself clear?"  
  
The women responded in unison, "Yes Ma'am!"  
  
Nodding, she replied, "Right. Let's move out!"  
  
The pilots obediently mounted their core units. The pilots lucky enough to have working safety harnesses strapped themselves in securely. As the engineers gave them the ok-sign, their engines roared to life, the units lining up in formation and following their leader out of the hanger.  
  
As they progressed towards the city limits, she looked out over the shoreline to their left. If things worked out properly, she might not ever see these shores again, she thought. It was one of the few sights she would miss of this world.  
  
The cityscape now behind them, she authorized the use of their thrusters, reminding the crew, "Keep your eyes peeled, ladies. We should be there within the hour. Resistance will most likely be light, but we don't know whether or not the Corp has any representatives there."  
  
"Aye Ma'am!"  
  
As the troops glided through the desert twilight, a smile crossed the leader's face. It grew broader with each approaching mahed.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Kazuki stared at the crescent-shaped blade that the man had placed in his hand. If he killed Dee, he would then have to kill himself over guilt. If he chose to kill the man, Kazuki doubted they'd get very far before they were captured and eliminated. If he dropped the blade, he'd be branded a collaborator and killed alongside Dee. It was a no win situation and Kazuki saw no way out.  
  
Gunfire interrupted the uneasy silence. Everyone's head immediately snapped in the direction of the noise and Auth, temporarily forgetting about the prior crisis, ran towards the tent flap. Throwing it open, he beheld the devastation before him.  
  
Women were running from the blazing weapons crying as they held their injured and dead young. Some of the tribesmen had already manned the anti- core unit turrets, but the technology was ancient and few actually provided any substantial resistance. One by one, the turrets and the men inside them were being picked off.  
  
Auth watched in horror as his people died around him. Shaking off his own fear and confusion, he darted into the confused mass and began shouting orders, telling the women to take what they could carry and flee into the desert in groups. He also had to give the unfortunate order to leave the dead children behind.  
  
Kazuki helped Dee to the flap and struggled to balance himself and the knife he was still holding on to. Juggling the knife into his other hand, he opened the flap and gasped at the image before him.  
  
Dee's eyes began to water. These scenes were so familiar to her, but she still did not know why. She did not want to know why. All she wanted was for them to go away forever. Closing her eyes, she buried her face in Kazuki's shoulder. "Kazuki, I'm scared. Can we get out of here?"  
  
Kazuki, still in shock, simply nodded. He had seen many battles during the Rara Army days and even since he had left Earth, but nothing compared to the slaughter of innocent women and children he was now seeing. All he knew was that someone had to do something to stop this and soon or there wouldn't be a soul left.  
  
An idea suddenly struck him. He looked around him at the crowd rushing past, catching a glimpse of a familiar young man amongst them. Reaching out, Kazuki caught his arm and dragged him closer. "You! Gan, right? Where's the core robot we landed in?"  
  
Obviously dazed and confused by the battle around him, he blinked at Kazuki and stammered, unable to respond. Kazuki released him long enough to give the young man a good smack to the side of his head, which jarred his memory. "It's too far away! Besides, I'd never allow you to escape!"  
  
Kazuki snarled, "Genius, you're people are being killed! We're your only hope! Tell us where the hell it is!"  
  
Gan, noting the knife that was edging dangerously close towards his body, nodded and replied, pointing, "It's that way, but the 'Core was already going to haul it here for salvage. Besides, on foot it would still take at least--"  
  
Kazuki growled, spinning Gan around and pushing him towards what appeared to be a semi-intact vehicle, aside from the missing windshield and dead driver, "That's why you're going to take us there in this."  
  
Gan dug his heels into the sand, causing Kazuki to slam into him and almost drop Dee. "I refuse."  
  
Kazuki, regretting that the situation had come to this, gently pressed the knife tip against his back and whispered, "Then you will die."  
  
Apparently finding a new appreciation for the agreement Kazuki had posed, Gan nodded and pulled the deceased from the vehicle. Kazuki laid Dee down in the backseat, covering her up carefully so that no one would see her face. Climbing into the passenger seat alongside Gan, Kazuki kept the knife in plain sight and easy grasp to reiterate the terms of their deal. Swallowing heavily, Gan engaged the anti-gravity generator and took off, leaving his dying people behind him.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
The two men brushed the dust off of their uniforms, shining their lights inside the alien cockpit. The sun's rays had finally sunken behind the sand dunes, but the warmth still radiated from the metallic shell like fire.  
  
"So, what do you make of it?"  
  
The other man shook his head, leaning in to take a closer look. "I've never heard of a unit like this. Neither the Adome nor the Elev have anything similar. It looks fairly new, but the technology is so... Out- dated."  
  
His companion nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking. I wonder where it came from?"  
  
"Space, you moron."  
  
"No! I mean what world... Don't call me a moron!"  
  
"Hey morons," a third man called up to the two who were arguing. "We need to get moving. Suit up and let's go!"  
  
"Yes sir," the men replied in unison, hoping off the robot and into their respective machines.  
  
The man in charge nodded approvingly, shutting the cockpit door and engaging the thrusters on his core unit. He monitored the tethers attached to the downed unit carefully for any sign of strain or imminent failure. Satisfied with the conditions, he took off slowly, the blue robot in tow.  
  
The radio crackled as one of the support pilots called him, "Sir, do you see that?"  
  
"See what?"  
  
"On the horizon. It looks like smoke and," a bright flash interrupted the other pilot's transmission.  
  
"Oh no," the pilot began entering the release code, dropping the alien unit back onto the desert surface. "Let's go, you two! I don't like the look of this!"  
  
"What about the core unit?"  
  
"Dammit, let's go!"  
  
"Yes sir!"  
  
The crew engaged their thrusters at their maximum output, ignoring the fuel consumption regulations they normally observed. As their speed gradually increased, they noticed a small vehicle passing below them. A quick scan showed two Adome, both battered and bruised. Assuming they were escapees, the unit carried on towards the nomadic village, praying they would not be too late.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Kazuki's eyes widened as the three core robots approached them at a high rate of speed. He prepared himself for weapons impact, but was surprised when they passed overhead. He looked up quickly and noticed the emblem painted on the cockpits of all three units. A heart with a sword through it clearly stood out. A light banner with some faint writing could also be seen, but the poor lighting conditions made it unreadable. The robots paused momentarily to scan them and continued onward towards the village they were fleeing.  
  
Kazuki turned to his captive, "Who the hell were they?"  
  
Gan, his eyes remaining on the desert before them, replied distantly, "The Corp. They're probably trying to save the village. They're too late."  
  
Kazuki shook his head, his eyes returning to the path before them. "Not if we can help it."  
  
Gan glanced over at the man. Was the traitor serious or was he trying to fool Gan into thinking they were on the same side? There was no way to be certain. Unfortunately, if his intentions were malicious, Gan had no way to stop him.  
  
The stranger's eyes widened again and he clutched the sides of the transport. Gan returned his gaze to the path before him just in time to avoid collision with the giant core unit that lay before them. Coming to a halt a few feet away, Kazuki tapped him with the knife blade to nudge him out first. He then helped Dee, who had fallen asleep and required some coaxing to move, out of the back of the vehicle.  
  
The three approached the blue robot cautiously. Kazuki set Dee down against Persephone's warm metallic surface and turned again to face Gan.  
  
The young man was staring at his right hand, which still carried the knife.  
  
Glancing at the knife blade and back at his captive, he shook his head. "I have no intention of killing you, despite what you've done to Dee. I'm going to try and stop that unnecessary bloodbath with this robot. If you plan to interfere, please let me know now so I can restrain you."  
  
Gan simply shook his head. It was suicide to return in this damaged unit no matter which side they were on. If they were Adome, the Elev would wipe them out instantly. If they were Elev, the Corp would kill them almost as quickly. He doubted seriously that they would return to the camp. Every fiber of his being told him that they were probably going to put as much distance between themselves and the battle as possible.  
  
However, a small voice inside him said otherwise. It told him to trust these people and their actions. Recklessly heeding this advice, he simply returned to the transport vehicle and powered its engine up. Taking one last look at the two pilots, he nodded towards them, stating, "Good luck."  
  
As the vehicle sped off into the night, Kazuki looked up at Persephone. Its limbs were intact, but its thrusters were probably damaged during the initial impact. They might have been able to achieve half its normal speed, but anything beyond that would be impossible.  
  
"Dee, I'm going to go take a look at the cockpit. Will you be ok?"  
  
She simply nodded trying to hold herself up by bracing against Persephone's right arm. "I'll be here."  
  
Nodding, Kazuki climbed up onto Persephone. He entered the cockpit, noticing that some of the circuits had been pulled out of their panels for inspection. Replacing as many of the parts as he could in the twilight, Kazuki was finally able to restore main power to the behemoth. Sitting in the pilot's seat, he activated the life sympathy orbs. Slowly, Persephone's left arm moved around to its right side. It gently picked up its pilot and placed her in the cockpit. As the hatch sealed, Kazuki inspected Dee briefly. She was breathing, but had passed out again. Although he was no doctor, Kazuki suspected she would be fine after a few days of rest and meals.  
  
The life sympathy orbs lit as Kazuki commanded the robot to rise from the sands. As the monitors crackled to life, Kazuki scanned the horizon until he saw the reddish-orange glow of the battle in the distance. Cautiously at first, Persephone began walking towards the light. As if its confidence was building with each passing step, her pace quickened, finally approaching a sprint. Her thrusters misfired at first, and then came on strong, propelling the two pilots towards the battlefield before them.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
"Sir! Reinforcements are coming from New Gomorack!"  
  
The commander growled back as he struck down one of the enemy Elev units, "I can see this. Do you have any useful information to provide?"  
  
His companion, who now carried his and their former teammate's rifle, formed up along his left flank, firing a shot into the head camera of a passing Elev. "I believe most of the villagers that are still alive escaped. They will tell stories of our bravery for centuries to come, sir!"  
  
"Oh, that's wonderful... I hope they cast me as the handsome rogue and smooth ladies man we know I am... If it's all the same to you, however," the commander paused, burying his blade into the cockpit of another Elev; one of many that was now swarming around their prey.  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"I'd like for one of us to hear those stories. Get out of here. I'll cover you."  
  
"But sir!"  
  
The older man sighed, taking the spare rifle from his friend's hand. "You're young, you have a child to look after. In addition, you're one of the few pilots we have and you're currently sitting in an even more rare commodity: A limit-less core unit. Get it and yourself out of the machine out of here without a scratch, son. I'll do the rest."  
  
The man stuttered, "I-I-I can't do that, sir... You're too important to us! What will I tell my son when he discovers that his grandfather won't be returning from battle?"  
  
"Tell him that's life. It's a shame that he must know it's cruel hand so early, but if he is to carry on our family's piloting tradition, he must learn quickly. Goodbye, son," the father cut the communications line with the other robot and engaged his thrusters. As his core unit dived into the mass of Elev core units, he ignored his proximity alarms and slashed or shot at anything that moved.  
  
He destroyed five units in the first few seconds. As his son flew over the sand dune, the commander paused briefly, nodding as his final farewell.  
  
A sharp pain pervaded his body as the Elev counterattacked. The lead unit, a full head taller than the regular units, approached him swiftly. It grabbed his left arm and pulled it out of the socket, a mesh of wire and electricity falling towards the desert below. Like vultures, the other robots swooped in for the meal, ripping off pieces of the armor and weaponry for future salvage.  
  
After retrieving anything of value off of the Adome core unit, the others let it fall to the sand and stepped back, allowing their leader to approach. It knelt down and picked up the fallen soldier's sword, examining it carefully. It spun the blade around, the point mere inches from the cockpit and the pilot within. Raising the blade high above her head, the commander braced himself for the final blow.  
  
A hole instantly opened inside the core unit's chest; a blue hand retracted from it as quickly as it had entered. As the Elev leader fell, the blue behemoth's eyes glowed green. In a move so fast that the commander's eyes could not track it, the blue robot retrieved the sword and began slashing down Elev units at a blinding rate.  
  
Five units attacked in unison and were all gutted with a slight move of the robot's wrist. Another attempted to attack from behind. As the blue robot's thrusters fired, the damage to the left side was obvious. It stumbled and barely escaped the attack, slowly turning to face it's new foe. The Elev, seizing the opportunity the damage provided, focused on the new arrival's left flank, pounding the robot mercilessly. It attempted to block the attacks to no avail, eventually falling into the soft desert sands. The green glow that had haunted the Elev mere moments ago faded from the robot's eyes.  
  
"It appears we have both failed, my friend. I thank you for your assistance," the commander sighed, resting his head upon the back of his seat as he closed his eyes. The Elev took no prisoners and rarely left any survivors. Both pilots' fates had been sealed once the blue machine fell to the ground. It was only a matter of time.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
"Get up, dammit," Kazuki's fists slammed into the unresponsive life sympathy orbs, kicking the seat for good measure as well. "They're going to kill us, Persephone! Don't you get it! You aren't going to survive this either! Get up!"  
  
Dee moaned softly, rising from the cockpit's floor. "Zinv, is that you?"  
  
Kazuki turned his head towards Dee's curled form. "Dee, are you alright?"  
  
Dee's expression became one of concern. "This isn't our core unit. What are we doing here?"  
  
"Dee! This isn't the time for such nonsense! We're about to be killed!"  
  
Dee rose, stumbling slightly as she approached the pilot's seat. She gently rested her hand on Kazuki's arm, calmly replying, "You were always one to exaggerate, my dear. Let an old woman take a spin."  
  
Kazuki stared at Dee, "What the hell has gotten into you, Dee? You're in no shape to fight! We've got to think of something!" Panic was beginning to overtake Kazuki's mind. He wasn't ready to die here without even seeing Mitsuki ever again. Now his few remaining moments were going to be spent trying to snap Dee back to reality.  
  
"I do not know who this Dee is that you speak of. However, I suggest that you move immediately," the small fire burning behind her eyes came as a total surprise to Kazuki. He quickly cleared the seat, allowing her to flop into the seat and place her hands on the life sympathy orbs.  
  
"Now, let's see," Dee, her eyes continuing to flutter but remain open, instantly activated the dormant robot. "Well, let's get down to business, shall we," the strange smile spread across Dee's face. Something about it frightened Kazuki immensely. 


	4. Part 4

The commander glanced at the Elev approaching the blue robot. Hopefully, they would be swift and merciful, but he doubted it. The Elev weren't known for their kindness.  
  
Suddenly, the blue robot sat up. Its eyes glowed red with rage. Pushing off of the desert floor, it's cold metallic glare focused on the approaching enemy. Perhaps out of fear, they halted for a moment. Finally, one unit continued on its path, aiming a rifle at the robot's cockpit.  
  
Light began spreading from the robot's back. It momentarily blinded all who were staring directly at it, causing them to miss the casing as it was shed. The blue robot's head lowered, its attention focused on the lead core unit. In a flash of green light, the creature stood behind its attacker. It swiftly drove the sword it still held into the attacker's back. More green flashes began spreading throughout the area around every Elev core unit. Finally, it halted above the Adome commander's core unit; the sword's tip hovering above its head. The commander first gasped in amazement as all the Elev units fell to the ground and exploded and then as the blade hovered above him.  
  
It dropped the sword to its side and stepped away from the Adome. As if it were out of energy, the blue machine collapsed onto the desert floor once more, only this time the cockpit opened and two pilots emerged. One of the pilots was carrying the other in their arms. It appeared that a young Adome was carrying a female who was unconscious.  
  
Upon closer inspection, the commander realized where the machine had derived its power. Why it was fighting on his side, however, was another question. He had heard of how the Daughters of Kumu had infiltrated and betrayed the Adome of Old Edenora, but something about this one seemed different. It could have killed him at any time and fled with its own kind, yet it did not.  
  
This fact disturbed and intrigued him. Perhaps it was malfunctioning? Or perhaps it was the one of whom the elders spoke of when they told their stories to children around the campfire.  
  
He chuckled at this thought. Those were nothing more than mere fairytales, designed to entertain the children. According to the stories, that Elev returned to Earth with some of the Adome and lived happily forever. No evidence existed that they were ever founded in fact.  
  
He attempted to open the cockpit door, but the mechanics had been damaged during the fight. Pressing the emergency release, he covered his ears as the explosive bolts blew the door off. He climbed out of the cockpit, keeping a watchful eye on his saviors.  
  
For his part, the young Adome had not stopped looking at him. He had been through some sort of ordeal; the commander could see it in his eyes.  
  
Something told him that that ordeal was just beginning...  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Kazuki placed Dee down beside her core robot and took a step back. Who was she just then? That was certainly not the Dee he had known for the better part of a decade now. Even after she had returned to her original body, she had never exhibited such a sense of power, not even in battle. As she laid on the desert surface, her eyes moving erratically beneath her eyelids, she seemed like the same innocent girl who had willingly sacrificed herself to save him all those years ago.  
  
He and Mitsuki had both decided, apparently without even knowing the others' wishes, to keep the horrible memories of her past from her when the worlds merged. Since that day, Dee always seemed like a ray of sunshine even in their darkest hours. She was always there, a smile on her face and optimism in her voice.  
  
But that dark smile that had spread across her lips as the enemies fell before her had a sinister undertone that made Kazuki wonder how much of her memories they had actually removed. Dee had never said anything about the past. When asked, she couldn't recall anything of her past including the Rara/Sanada War. This apparently was changing...  
  
Dee shifted slightly and muttered in her sleep, "Zinv, I'll pilot you..."  
  
"Tell me something, why did she do it," the man who had been piloting the other core robot approached Kazuki cautiously, using him as a human shield between him and Dee. He would occasionally look around Kazuki's body to make sure she wasn't moving before returning his gaze to Kazuki. "For that matter, why are you helping her? Are you a sympathizer?"  
  
Kazuki rolled his eyes and snarled at the older man, "This is so damned old! I'm not a sympathizer and she's not the enemy! We're from Earth and we mean you no harm! Now, if you're not going to help us, shut the hell up and get out of here!"  
  
The man chuckled and sat on the desert, continuing to watch the motionless object beyond the young man. "Earth? And I suppose you flew here on a magic asteroid with a thousand anhels singing your praises?" In reality, the commander was beginning to be intrigued. This could have easily been an Elev plot, but the fact that they were claiming Earth as their home world in addition to the Daughter of Kumu and the strikingly familiar appearance of her companion were becoming more than coincidental.  
  
"Why won't you people believe me? Look at our core robot! Does it look like anything on this rotten dust ball of yours? No! Look at me! Do I look like any other male on this world? Just barely! Well, if all these factors are taken into account, what's the only logical conclusion," Kazuki paused, throwing his arms up into the air. Continuing in a moronic- sounding tone, he replied, "Uh... We're not from around here?"  
  
The commander smiled as he continued to study the young man. He was right, he didn't appear to be from this world, but that did not eliminate the possibility of an Elev trap. Although, he doubted Elev supporters would kill the head of the Elevs on this world. Such a crime would make them marked individuals overnight. Maybe there was some truth to his story...  
  
"What's the big deal about Earth, anyway?"  
  
The commander, who had been looking at the desert sands, glanced up. "Hmm?"  
  
Kazuki sat down since it appeared that they would not be going anywhere for a while. He picked up a piece of scrap metal and began dragging it through the sand, staring at the lines he created. "Every time I mention where we're from, everyone acts as though I've spoken of a horrible specter or I've made some joke. What's the big deal?"  
  
If he were an Elev, he was playing his role quite well. Since there was no harm in indulging the young man's query, he replied, "Well, nothing really. Most adults don't even believe it exists. To hear an adult say they are from that legendary world could either be considered a joke or an omen, depending upon the listener."  
  
Kazuki sighed heavily, "Why is it a legendary world? Are you going to answer me or just vague me to death?"  
  
The older man chuckled and smiled at his companion. "You're an interesting fellow, my boy. It'll be a shame if you're an Elev and I have to kill you."  
  
Kazuki slammed his fists into the sand. "Dammit, stop stalling!"  
  
The commander waived off the young man's anger, continuing to chuckle. "Fine, fine. We tell our children from a young age these stories, usually around a small campfire, of the origin of our people and the Elev. Let me see if I can remember how they went," he scratched his chin, truly trying to remember the nuances of the stories.  
  
Finally recalling the tales, he continued, "There was darkness at the dawn of time. Then, the Great Maker formed the stars and planets. He breathed life onto many worlds and was hailed by this life as the truly powerful being that he was. Then, one day, he formed a peculiar region of the cosmos that he had not developed. He quickly formed a star and a planet system around it and spread many plants and creatures across one of the worlds. As he strolled through the new life-filled planet he had created, he grew very lonely. Thus, he created a being in his image. The Creator spoke to his creation, stating, 'Thou name shall be Zinv and ye shall be Adome.'"  
  
Kazuki's eyes widened as he mentioned his counterpart's name. "Zinv? Are you sure?"  
  
The commander simply nodded in response. Could there be some relationship between him and the Zinv of the story? Of course, many names were common in legend and in real life; the name Arthur came to mind.  
  
The commander paused and stood for a moment, stretching his legs as he scratched his nose. He wasn't used to sitting like this and his older joints were beginning to ache.  
  
"And then what," his companion's somewhat eager response didn't really surprise the commander, but it was still amusing.  
  
He smiled as he sat back down and continued, "Well, Zinv was happy at first, dwelling amongst the creatures of the land. However, the Great Maker spent many days far away from his beloved creation. The cosmos is large and as Caretaker, he was very busy. Zinv grew tired of walking amongst the land and cried to the heavens, 'Oh Merciful One, hear thine pleas! Answer the wail of thine lonely heart!' And the Maker came unto him and answered his plea, taking of Zinv to create Kumu. He said unto Kumu, 'Thou name is Kumu and thou art Elev.'"  
  
Kazuki's eyes continued to grow in width. These names had to be more than coincidence. How the hell did these people know of Zinv and Kumu? What was Dee's relation to this Kumu? The more questions he had answered, the more questions Kazuki came up with.  
  
The commander, noticing the shocked look on the young man's face, chuckled. "So, you 'Earthlings' know of Kumu and Zinv?"  
  
Kazuki shook his head. "No, not most of us... But I have heard of such names. Please continue," his temper gone, Kazuki bowed his head towards his elder as a show of respect.  
  
Nodding, the older man continued, "And so, Zinv and Kumu roamed the Earth. Eventually, they came across a large land separate from any other on the Earth. Settling on this mass, they called it 'Atlatia' and built a great city and prospered, birthing many children that became known as 'Atlatians'. Zinv and Kumu became the rulers of this land and did so justly for many, many conords. As the Atlatians began exploring their planet, they discovered many people who were like them in appearance, but lacked the knowledge of the Great Maker. The Atlatians taught them how to feed themselves and helped build great things for them: Cities to do business in, temples to worship in, homes to dwell in, and the like and the younger peoples, as they were called, rejoiced. However, some of the younger peoples grew envious of the Atlatians. They saw how their rulers, Zinv and Kumu, walked with the Great Maker and flourished in his presence. They sought to take this prosperity for their own and they convinced enough of their fellow people to form a large navy." The old man paused, catching his breath. He wasn't sure how long he'd been telling this story to his children, but the practice seemed to be paying off. The young man was listening with baited breath.  
  
Rubbing some of the sand away from his eyes, he continued, "So, the Atlatians saw this fleet of ships forming from afar and frowned. Zinv and Kumu split for the first time, Zinv wished to solve the situation peaceably and Kumu wished to destroy them without mercy. The two fought for days over how to solve this problem. Many minor grievances that before were over looked suddenly became large blemishes that would not pass with time. While the two continued to argue, the fleet approached Atlatia's shores. Realizing the time for debate had long passed, Zinv and Kumu ordered their people to escape and they did. They boarded giant sky vessels that swiftly fled the planet. As a final act, Zinv and Kumu sank Atlatia so that none of the younger peoples could use the technology there to pursue them."  
  
"Is that all," Kazuki's interest was more than piqued. This story sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.  
  
Sighing, the older man looked at Kazuki. "If you'd let me finish uninterrupted, it might have been." Stretching again, he punished the listener for his impatience slightly before continuing, "Although the immediate threat was over, Zinv and Kumu could forget not the words that they had spoken to each other in anger. Thus began the great divide. Kumu and her supporters, in spite, broke from the Atlatian fleet and disappeared into space. They became known as the Elev. Angered by her irresponsible actions, Zinv pursued his mate with his remaining forces, who became known as the Adome. They eventually located the Elev and were unable to mend the breach between the two peoples. Thus, the Great War began."  
  
"That's not exactly correct..."  
  
Kazuki spun around and gasped as he saw Dee attempting to stand up by bracing against Persephone. Quickly moving to her side, Kazuki chided her, "Dee, you shouldn't be moving... Sit back down."  
  
Ignoring Kazuki for the moment, her gaze remained fixed on the commander. "Most of the base facts are correct, but I see your side has tainted most of the facts as well since the actual events occurred," the response was in the Adome's own language, the accent a perfect match to the commander's.  
  
The commander, returning the cold gaze with an equally frigid one of his own replied, "And what would you know of the 'actual events', as you put it? I'm old enough to be your grandfather!"  
  
Dee nodded, "This is true, but your age is not what is in question here. Your people have imprisoned myself and my companion because of what I am. We've been forced to endure many hardships because of my genetic makeup, but now you dare question my knowledge of these events. I was there! I saw it with my own two eyes! You know this!"  
  
The commander snarled, "Damned abomination! What devil hath we angered to bring you to this world?"  
  
Dee shook her head sadly, lowering her gaze to the desert floor below her. "And yet he wonders why the battles never end," she looked back up into Kazuki's eyes. The sad gaze told him that the Dee he knew was still inside of her and that the strange woman he had encountered a short time ago was most likely never to return again.  
  
Kazuki anxiously asked, "Dee, are you alright?"  
  
She shook her head, looking away from her companion and back at the desert floor. "No, I am not. We will have to discuss that later, though," Dee looked at the older man now standing across from them. "I assume you know how to show gratitude for your life being spared? Or will you repay us as the villagers repaid Technos?"  
  
The old man raised an eyebrow. "You know of 'Technos and the Water- Bearer'?"  
  
"Of course I do. Who do you think helped create the cautionary tale? He was a good man... A good Adome," Dee's true belief in the words she spoke was being reflecting in her level gaze.  
  
The commander nodded, pushing off the desert sands. "I believe I can accommodate you and your companion temporarily. If you so much as make a sneeze I don't approve of, however, you will be killed. No questions asked. Understood?"  
  
Kazuki swallowed. The hard glare coming from the man's eyes made him personally want to take his chances with the desert instead of obeying.  
  
Dee bowed her head, stating calmly, "Of course."  
  
"I'll require transportation," he looked up at Persephone, the only remaining functional core unit on the battlefield.  
  
Dee turned to Kazuki. "Do you think you can pilot Persephone for a short while," she followed the question with her usual smiling face, but the smile felt like nothing more than a cheap facade covering a soul in a great turmoil.  
  
Kazuki shook his head yes, adding, "It'll be a tight squeeze, but we can manage."  
  
Dee's smile widened. As it did so, the pain she was hiding became even more apparent to the commander, who had closed the distance between himself and the abomination with surprising speed for a man of his age.  
  
Kazuki merely took the smile at face value, as per norm.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
The two men helped Dee into the cockpit, moving to set her down next to the pilot's seat.  
  
Dee softly protested, "No... Put me in the pilot's seat, Kazuki."  
  
Obediently, Kazuki placed Dee gently in the chair, allowing the commander to take a safe position behind them. "Dee, what are you doing?"  
  
Dee shut her eyes, concentrating on some unknown dilemma. As her eyelids began to flutter, the life sympathy orbs she had her hands on began to spark. A small distortion momentarily formed around them, but quickly disappeared as the orbs faded to black.  
  
"I have released the Limiters on this core unit," Dee sighed, falling back into the chair. It was obvious that in her weakened state the task had exhausted her.  
  
The commander, seizing an opportunity when he saw one, quickly approached the front of the pilot's chair. "You mean you can release the Limiters," he was unable to conceal the excitement in his voice as he asked the young Elev who, moments prior, was nothing more than the devil herself.  
  
Dee simply nodded, her eyes shut and her head resting against the back of the seat.  
  
"Incredible," the commander pondered the uses of such a tool in battle. If he could gather enough core units and exploit this girl's gift, they could easily outnumber the Elev on New Edenora two to one.  
  
Kazuki rushed to Dee's side. "Dee, are you ok? Shouldn't you have waited until you were better to do that? I could have piloted Persephone with the Limiters still in place..."  
  
Dee opened her eyes slightly and smiled at Kazuki. She replied in Japanese, a language their newfound friend thankfully could not interpret, "My dear Kazuki-kun, you're so naive at times... That's why I love you so." With that said, Dee closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
"We'll strike the Core Unit Factory at dawn. Are you sure you can get us in?"  
  
"I am of Kumu. I will get you inside. The rest is up to you, though."  
  
"Don't worry about us! We'll recapture the vessel for the former glory of Atlatia!"  
  
The words rang through the darkness, echoes of a time long past. How long had it been? One thousand? Two thousand years?  
  
"Why? Why do this to us?"  
  
"I-I-I didn't know. I thought I was different. I'm sorry."  
  
In a flash, her dead friends surrounded her. Unsure of what to do, she turned and headed for the mechanics room at the very heart of the vessel. It was Kumu who had done this to her friends. She was trying to end the war by removing the means of manufacturing these suits and thereby saving their lives, but Kumu killed them all. Worst of all, Kumu did it by using her.  
  
She would repay this act in like manner.  
  
She grabbed the knife of one of her fallen friends as she passed. She couldn't kill the original Kumu, but she could destroy what was left of her. She'd destroy that damned floating ball if it were the last thing she'd ever do.  
  
"Warning! Atmospheric decompression in..."  
  
The words echoed through the corridors, but as soon as the initial message had been initiated, she ignored the rest. Entering the large cargo bay, she looked up at the core unit. Its eyes glowed green, acknowledging the girl's presence. Its cockpit opened without being commanded to do so and she hopped in, sealing it quickly behind her.  
  
Zinv: "What will we do?"  
  
"The course has already been set. Kumu won't be able to override it. The engines are too badly damaged. All we can do now is escape."  
  
Zinv: "I see. Very well."  
  
The robot punched through three decks instantly, arriving at the vessel she and her friends had used to gain entry to the factory. She quickly keyed in the command to open the core unit storage space and ordered the robot inside. Sealing it shut, she ran to the control center and placed her hands on the life sympathy orbs.  
  
The ship blew through the docking bay doors as the damaged vessel began descending into the atmosphere of the blue-green planet. Kumu would be trapped on that world, probably forever. The young girl set a course for a small island chain and returned to her robotic companion.  
  
Holding the knife carefully, she looked up at her sole remaining friend. "Goodbye, Zinv."  
  
Zinv: "Where are you going?"  
  
Smiling softly, she shook her head. Pressing the knife against her arm, she began sawing at it. The Liquidator would never hurt another soul, even if it meant having to kill herself in order to prevent this event from reoccurring. As she cut, she bit into her lip, suppressing the urge to scream in agony. She kept reminding herself that soon it would be over and that soon, she'd be in a place of no pain.  
  
She placed the severed arm in an airlock and jettisoned it into the atmosphere, where it would surely burn up. Turning back to her companion, she smiled. The loss of blood was already causing her to become light- headed. She flopped onto the floor, chuckling deliriously. Eventually, she fell backwards, her body splashing into the pool of blood as she went unconscious.  
  
The robot looked down at his only friend in the universe. He reached out and scooped up her body, holding it close to his own. His surface armor began to ripple as she was absorbed into his flesh.  
  
Zinv: "Rest, Daughter of Kumu. I shall protect you."  
  
A feeling of warmth passed over Dee and for the first evening since Kazuki and she had arrived on this world, she slept peacefully. 


	5. Part 5

"Entering planetary orbit in five, four, three, two, one. Now entering planetary orbit," the mechanical voice, though given a gentle female voice, sounded cold. Its frigid tone shattered the silence.  
  
The female pilot awoke from her nap. She raised one eyelid, glancing at the baron world below. "Computer, set an entry course, prep the core unit for atmospheric entry, and engage. Place us in the center of the largest city."  
  
The computer beeped its response and did as it was told. The core unit's 'wings' closed around its body, protecting the pilot and the more heat- sensitive portions of its body. As it entered the atmosphere, it glowed red, a fire streak trailing behind it for all on the planet below to see.  
  
As it reached the target, the pilot spread the wing-like structure, creating more wind resistance. She adeptly programmed the exact town center into the navigational computer, adjusting for the monument that resided in the open circle, and engaged reverse thrusters. It hovered above the ground for a moment, the citizens staring at it in awe. They had not seen a new core unit in centuries and this arrival was taken as a good omen, despite the recent loss of their leader.  
  
The new leader was formerly the eighth in the chain of command. She was rather inexperienced and had just become a pilot fairly recently. It was rumored that she had received her position as eighth through special favors that she had paid to the former commander and her crew. With the death of numbers one through seven in the recent attempt to reclaim their sister, her chance to shine had come a few decades too soon.  
  
The teenage leader approached the core unit, a blade in hand. Her entourage carefully followed behind her, preparing for a fight with the core unit's pilot if necessary. She jumped back as the cockpit doors hissed and slid open.  
  
The pilot removed her helmet and rose from her seat, placing the helmet back down where she had sat. Facing the crowd, she attempted her most serious face possible, though the lines Mitsuki had asked her to recite seemed so silly at the time.  
  
"Sisters of old, your space brethren forgot you not! I am Mena Fitzgerald. This is Clotho," Mena waved a hand over the core unit as she spoke the alien tongue through a translating device. The core unit, now almost fully converted into a HIMC, seemed to almost absorb the daylight with its dark gray surface. She could still remember when it sat in Dr. Rara and Sanada's hilltop laboratory being constructed, it's empty husk in a dark corner to make room for Zinv and Katana. All of that had changed once she joined Mitsuki and Hera, however. Now she was being treated with the respect her and the rest of the Trio, as they were nicknamed, deserved. In fact, the only thing she missed from those days was Clotho's bright coloring.  
  
She continued, "We have come to inform you of the outside world and welcome you back into our fold with open arms. For too long, we have been apart. It is time to heal this wound and move on together." The assembled crowd cheered and clapped, happy for this bit of pleasant news.  
  
Mena smiled. Secretly, she had had doubts as to whether or not this plan would work in the beginning despite Mitsuki and Clotho's reassurances. The Elev of this world had been left here for so long by Kumu that Mena feared they would have mended ties with the Adome of this world and lost the urge to fight.  
  
The fire in the people's eyes told her otherwise.  
  
The memory of why she was on this world snapped Mena back to reality. As an afterthought, she added, "However, there is business that must be attended to here first. Who amongst you is thy leader? Let her present herself so that I may get to know my sister!"  
  
The teenager stepped forward, her head held high. "I, Gaela, am the leader of these people!"  
  
Mena hopped down from the cockpit, landing softly on her feet. "Greetings, sister. Is there somewhere that we may go that is more... Private?"  
  
Gaela nodded, motioning towards a nearby building. "This way."  
  
The two walked towards the building, a small path being created as the crowd parted and allowed them to pass. Mena smiled at some of the Elev as she passed them. The smile was humorless and cold, as if it hid a darkness beyond anything they could imagine.  
  
They entered a slightly run-down office, the younger woman flopping down in the chair behind her desk. Her chair creaked and sounded as if it might collapse, but it remained steady. She motioned her hand over the recently cleared desk to the chair across from her. Mena simply glanced at the chair and then back at the young woman.  
  
Nodding, Gaela skipped the formalities and went straight to the point, "For centuries, you have ignored us. Yet now, after all these years, you have come and welcomed us back with open arms... But, this is with one exception. Why do I have a feeling that this is a rather large exception?"  
  
Mena stumbled for the proper words to use. When she was outside of Clotho's immediate influence, everything felt like a blur. Shaking her head, the Elev words came back to her and she replied, slowly pacing towards the large, half-shattered window that over-looked the city, "For one so young, you are perceptive." Though she had an entire city to look upon, Mena focused squarely on the large mass in the town's center. She could hear it calling for her. She needed to return soon. She had to.  
  
Gaela turned her seat to face the somewhat menacing figure. "You still have not answered my question. Are you planning yet another rescue attempt for the Daughter of Kumu?"  
  
Mena spun on her heels, her eyes wide momentarily with surprise. Quickly collecting herself, she smiled coolly, "So, you know of her landing. Tell me, do you know of any others who were with her?"  
  
The young leader shook her head, shuffling through some of the brief memos that had been scratched into the crude paper they had made from indigenous plants. "We heard rumors of another, an Adome, who was with her, but nothing confirmed."  
  
"I see... And their current whereabouts?"  
  
"After our last attempt to liberate the Daughter of Kumu, we lost track of her and most of the Adome who had captured her. I find it hard to believe that she's still alive. The Adome are ruthless savages--"  
  
"I could care less about the Daughter of Kumu! I want to know where her companion is immediately," Mena interrupted, the fury behind her eyes quite evident.  
  
Gaela looked at her in disbelief, "Don't care about a Daughter of Kumu? Has our Elev brethren changed so much over these millennia that they care not for their sacred rulers? What does Kumu say of this?"  
  
Mena glared at the child who was questioning her orders, the rage dwelling within barely being contained, "Kumu is dead. She has been for centuries. We have a new ruler now! Her name is Ms. Ra! You shall worship her above all others and swear your allegiance to her or die! Is this understood?"  
  
Gaela swallowed hard and nodded, allowing Mena to continue, "Good. As such, the Daughter of Kumu is useless. We have new plans now. Those plans involve the man-- the Adome-- that was with her. You will tell me all that you know now, or I shall be forced to... punish you."  
  
The impish grin that Mena flashed towards Gaela let her know that this would be most unpleasant if carried out. She stammered, trying to find any information locked in her mind that might avert that demonic glance from her, "I-I-If she's still alive, she's probably with the Desert Heart Corp. The Adome you seek will most likely be with them as well."  
  
"The Desert Heart Corp? Go on..."  
  
"They're a group of Adome who have the remaining core units that don't have Limiters in place. They initiate random attacks against our forces without warning and then return to the desert from whence they came. We have spent centuries trying to track them down, but we find they are too elusive for us to locate," Gaela paused. She felt the need to add something more for fear of this strange woman's wrath and stated, "That's all I know, I swear!"  
  
Mena smiled politely, patting the Elev on the head. "Good girl. We... I shall take over from here. I will need all remaining Elev core units transferred to me."  
  
"B-B-But what if the Desert Heart attacks us?"  
  
Mena's eyes narrowed. "I said, I will need all remaining Elev core units transferred to me. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
Gaela nodded nervously, "Y-Yes, ma'am!"  
  
"Good." Mena moved away from the commander, stepping towards the door. As she opened door, Mena turned her head back towards the commander, "I am returning to my core unit now. You need not provide me with accommodations."  
  
"But surely you must rest!"  
  
"You heard me, dammit," Mena snarled and quickly left the office. Her patience was wearing thin. She found that all she wanted at this point was to be nestled safely inside of Clotho, her precious counterpart.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Kazuki poked at the small fire that was their only source of warmth in this cold, desolate land they were trapped in. Placing the piece of shrapnel back on the desert sands, he looked up at the sky around them.  
  
"It's so clear, isn't it?"  
  
Kazuki nodded and smiled softly, "Yes it is, Dee. When did you wake up?"  
  
Dee struggled to sit up, leaning heavily on Kazuki. She finally rested her head on his shoulder, continuing to look up at the stars. "I haven't seen a night this clear on a planet's surface in almost two years. It was your wedding night. Do you remember?"  
  
Kazuki shut his eyes, lowering his head. He muttered softly, "Yes, yes I remember."  
  
"I hope she's alright. I hope everyone is all right."  
  
"As do I..."  
  
"Kazuki?"  
  
"Yes Dee?"  
  
"Did you see that?"  
  
Kazuki looked back up at the sky, tracking the strange object as it left a trail in the atmosphere. "A meteor?"  
  
Dee shook her head. "No, it's no meteor... I sense something... Dangerous. Let's go, Kazuki. Let's go now."  
  
Kazuki glanced down at Dee. "But we just stopped for the evening..."  
  
"I know, but this is major. I don't know how I know, but I do. Let's go."  
  
"What about--"  
  
The commander stepped out from behind Persephone's outstretched arm, "I can assure you, he already knows. If the Elev says we must leave, then we shall." He slung his pack over his back, ready to depart at a moment's notice.  
  
Kazuki sighed, slowly rising and helping Dee up. "Very well. Let's go." He and the commander helped Dee into Persephone's cockpit carefully, pulling himself up afterwards. Sitting back down in the pilot's seat, he placed his hands on the life sympathy orbs.  
  
"So, where to now?"  
  
Dee smiled and looked at their companion. "I think our friend here has the answer to that..."  
  
The commander eyed Dee cautiously. Something strange had awoken in this Elev, this Daughter of Kumu; something that disturbed and yet intrigued him greatly. "Go that way. Within a quarter of a conord, we will reach our final destination."  
  
Kazuki glared at the commander. "We were that close? Why the hell didn't you say so?"  
  
The commander turned his gaze towards the desert before them. "I had to decide whether or not I was going to have to kill you and steal your machine. It's too obsolete to be of any use. Lucky you."  
  
Kazuki's eyes narrowed. He began to rise out of his seat, but was restrained by Dee's soft touch. She simply shook her head and whispered, "He needs us as much as we need him. We're safe, for now at least."  
  
Nodding, Kazuki settled back down into the seat and began walking in the direction that the Adome had pointed. The core robot's footfalls were heavy, yet unsteady as it crossed the dunes of Edenora, much like the occupants' uncertain future.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
"Well, where is it," Kazuki's voice barely masked his annoyance. They had been plodding around the cliff-side for almost an hour now, poking and prodding various rock formations for the hidden lever.  
  
The commander sat calmly with his eyes closed. "If I could remember, I'd tell you."  
  
"I don't buy it! What kind of leader doesn't remember where the switch to his own hideout is?"  
  
The man simply shrugged, his eyes remaining shut. "Believe what you will. The fact remains."  
  
"Let's leave him here, Dee. This stinks of a setup."  
  
Dee nodded slowly, looking out over the rocky landscape before them. "I agree. However, I fear you have come to this conclusion a little too late."  
  
Kazuki gave Dee a questioning look. "Huh?"  
  
"You there! Halt!" A light shone down upon the core robot from the cliff- top.  
  
"Gah!" Kazuki began to move Persephone out of it, but the barrels of rifles pressed against the core robot's left, right, and backsides halted his progress.  
  
"I said halt. Disengage your robot and exit the cockpit immediately or be destroyed."  
  
Dee looked up at Kazuki, resting her hand on his. "Do as they say."  
  
Nodding, Kazuki opened the latch and elbowed the Adome who had been tormenting them. "You first."  
  
The man opened his eyes, glancing down at Kazuki before slowly edging towards the open hatch. His hands raised, the commander stepped into the light and glanced upward at the spotlight. Kazuki followed him, supporting Dee as she limped out of the cockpit.  
  
"F-Father? Is that you?"  
  
"Yes, Furon. It is your father, Faran. I bring... Guests."  
  
A few audible gasps could be heard as the assembled core unit pilots noticed Dee's appearance. Immediately, one of the units moved its rifle barrel towards her and Kazuki, causing Kazuki's eyes to widen greatly.  
  
Continuing, the commander stated calmly, "Dispose of the boy. He is of no use to us. The Daughter of Kumu, however, will be of great use. She must be kept safe, for now. Find her a cell--"  
  
"Wait!" Dee pushed away from Kazuki, relying on what little strength remained in her frail body to support her. She glared at the commander, his somewhat stunned gaze beginning to annoy her. "Both of you have toyed with me... With us, long enough. It ends now. You will let Kazuki live and you will begin treating us with the proper respect that we deserve."  
  
Faran chuckled slowly pacing towards the young Elev. "And why, my dear, would we listen to you?"  
  
Dee's flashed an insincere smile at the commander, her contempt of the man quite obvious. "Because I am your key to surviving on this world and possibly your one ticket off of it. Disobey me and you will surely die at the hands of the Elev on this world."  
  
"We have survived for a long time here without your aid. What makes you think we need the services you and your," Faran motioned towards Kazuki, "'Friend' can provide?"  
  
Dee's smile grew in intensity; its haunting glow frightened some of the less battle-hardened pilots observing the situation. "Because I saw the way you looked at me in that cockpit when I released the Limiter. You're short on many things, manners among them, but what you require most at this moment is function core units."  
  
"And what makes you think this? We have plenty of functioning units, as you can see," Faran waved his hands towards the four units that surrounded them.  
  
"Any fool could have seen the desperation upon your face at that moment, Faran. You saw an opportunity to claim this world for the Adome and you planned to take full advantage of it."  
  
Dee approached the commander, her small frame mere inches from him. Speaking softly, she stated, "I have no problem with the Adome taking over this world. I have helped them many times in the past. The Adome people were my friends long before you were brought into this forsaken world. However, I do not take kindly to my friends or myself being threatened. Tell them to lower their weapons and we can discuss this in a more civil manner."  
  
Faran eyed the young woman carefully. He had never heard of a Daughter of Kumu and an Adome being acquaintances, let alone friends. Such a relationship was only told in the stories of the elders. Surely this one could not be the same as the one who returned to Earth. Those stories were ancient long before he was born. This young woman appeared to be no older than his son. Yet both were Daughters of Kumu and the healer's report had shown that no Liquidator was within her...  
  
Snorting, the commander turned from her. "Very well. You shall follow me, provided someone could lower us to the ground," he glanced over his shoulder at Kazuki, who was simply staring oddly back at the two in total confusion.  
  
"Oh! Yeah... Right... Ok!" Kazuki sat back down in the pilot's seat and commanded Persephone to lie down on the desert floor. "Done!"  
  
"Thank you." Dee approached Kazuki and gave him a small hug. "Stay here, Kazuki. Everything will be fine."  
  
"Uh, Dee?"  
  
"Yes Kazuki?"  
  
"Could you tell me what the heck's going on here?"  
  
Dee paused, considered the question with a thoughtful look upon her face, and replied, "Some of it goes beyond your understanding at this time. Some of it will disturb you. Therefore, I cannot tell you everything at present. I am sorry." Dee's mouth made a small frown, which caused Kazuki's heart to melt. No one on the artifact ship could remain angry with her when she made such a face and the same held true for this world.  
  
Kazuki nodded. "Alright, Dee. Just promise to tell me someday, ok?"  
  
Dee nodded and turned to face Faran. "Shall we proceed?"  
  
He motioned towards the cliff face, bowing. "This way."  
  
Dee and Faran approached the cliff's base and the man pressed one of the neighboring rocks. A portion of the cliff slid backward and then up out of view. The two entered, Dee moving with strength she appeared not to have possessed mere moments earlier. They left a very confused Kazuki behind them.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Mena's eyes narrowed as she scanned the smoldering remains of the Adome camp. The Elev forces had been thorough in their attempt to destroy the camp and its residents, but, by simply looking at the body count, Mena knew some had escaped. Now Kazuki was out there, somewhere, mocking her and Clotho.  
  
"Ma'am, the sands have shifted too much since the attack. There's no way we'll find them!"  
  
Mena glared at the core unit's pilot via the video link. If it weren't a waste of a perfectly good core unit, she would have commanded Clotho to remove the scum from her very sight. Unfortunately, resources were almost as limited as her time on this world. Mitsuki had been very specific about the amount of time she'd allow Mena to spent searching for Kazuki. Any deviation from this time frame would result in a most unpleasant reward.  
  
"Sir, we should probably head back."  
  
"No!" Mena's shout rang through the communications line as clear as day. "Fan out. I want the Daughter of Kumu and her companion found immediately."  
  
"But it wil--"  
  
"Now!"  
  
The shaken pilots replied in an uneasy unison, "Yes sir," and began searching the wilderness for signs of survivors on foot. Clotho rose from the ashes of the Adome camp and scanned the surrounding area.  
  
"Dust, dust, and more dust," Mena snarled as she surveyed the scanner results.  
  
Clotho: "Calm yourself. He could not have left the planet's surface. We will find him."  
  
"Calm myself? You know what Ms. Ra said she would do to us if we returned empty handed!"  
  
"Um, ma'am?"  
  
Clotho: "This is true, but I was merely..."  
  
"Just find him, dammit!"  
  
"Ms. Fitzgerald? Are you speaking to us?"  
  
Mena glanced at her comm. panel, "No! Get back to work!" She turned off the communications systems before adding, "That goes for you too, Clotho."  
  
Clotho: "Understood." 


	6. Part 6

Kazuki stepped out of Zinv's cockpit and onto the artifact ship's deck. He slowly approached a seated figure that was observing him from the shadows. As he grew nearer, he recognized his wife and began running towards her. He stopped when he realized she did not run to him.  
  
The cold metal reflected light back into his eyes...  
  
A comm. signal violated Kazuki's light slumber, "We've been ordered to escort you to the hanger. You will follow us there now."  
  
Kazuki rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted. He muttered to himself, "What the hell was that," as he stretched his arms. Thankfully, the enhancements to Persephone and the other Mark II core robots included an enlarged cockpit.  
  
"You will follow us now."  
  
Kazuki shook his head. "What? I'm not going anywhere until I see Dee! Where is she?"  
  
"Do as we say or you shall die!" A nearby core unit held a rifle to Persephone's cockpit to emphasize their point.  
  
Kazuki instinctively threw his hands upon the life sympathy orbs, activating Persephone's systems and instantaneously grabbing the rifle out of the offending unit's hands. The other units moved in to assist their comrade, surrounding Kazuki.  
  
"Stop!" Dee's normally small voice boomed over the communications signal. The sound was enough to halt all parties in their tracks. "Kazuki, I'm coming up. Follow them to the hanger afterwards."  
  
"What's going--"  
  
"Later, Kazuki."  
  
Kazuki frowned for a moment. He didn't like being left in the dark, especially in hostile situations. Realizing that he had no other choice for the moment, he sighed and lowered Persephone to one knee. "Understood, but I'm keeping the rifle."  
  
The unit to whom the rifle belonged to stepped forth, about to object, when the commander's voice bellowed, "Let him keep it, if he thinks it'll make him safer. From what I've heard, he'll be needing it more than you anyway."  
  
The unit backed down and Persephone's cockpit opened. A small ladder shot out from the hatch and unfolded until it came to rest on the desert floor. Quickly, Dee climbed into the cockpit and sealed the door behind her, turning off the comm. systems as she approached Kazuki.  
  
Kazuki stared blankly at Dee. For a girl who was near death only a few short hours ago, she sure had found a sudden burst of energy. "Dee, what's going on here?"  
  
"It's too complicated to explain. Basically, we're now friendly acquaintances of the Adome and will be allowed limited access to their facilities in exchange for certain services."  
  
Kazuki gulped, his cheeks reddening slightly. "What services?"  
  
Dee giggled softly. "Nothing perverted. They need core uni-- robots and pilots. We, and myself in particular, can help this need. They've asked that we accompany them in the morning to what they call 'The Graveyard'."  
  
Kazuki frowned. He didn't like the name of their destination one bit, but Dee had made it sound like they had no choice in the matter. Sighing and reluctantly accepting his fate, he nodded and followed the Adome.  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
"Kazuki, wake up." Dee gently pushed Kazuki for the hundred eleventh time in a futile attempt to wake him.  
  
"This one could sleep through a full Elev invasion. There's only one way to wake this one," Faran drove his foot into Kazuki's stomach, causing him to instantly rise out of his bed and out of breath.  
  
"I'm awake, Mitsuki! I'm awa--!" Kazuki rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stared momentarily at the unfamiliar cave-like surroundings.  
  
"Get up. We've got a long trip ahead of us."  
  
Kazuki uttered a strange groan and slowly rose off of the ground, searching the floor for his shoes. His hands flailed around his immediate surroundings, but came up empty with each pass.  
  
"Here you are, Kazuki." Dee handed him his shoes, a smile on her face. "You'd better hurry up. I heard that some of the men were going to dump you out into the desert if you didn't get moving in the next five minutes."  
  
Kazuki nodded and muttered to himself, throwing on his shoes and stretching. "Fine, fine... Let's go."  
  
Dee giggled and grabbed Kazuki's arm, dragging him toward the hanger where Persephone rested. As they entered the bay, the light shining through the opened doors gave Kazuki a much better view of the Adome's forces. Most of the core robots appeared to be hundreds of years old. It was a wonder that they still had main power, let alone were in any form of working condition. The best units had major dents and bits of faded paint all over their surface. Some of the more dilapidated units were missing limbs, portions of their armor, weapons, and other key components of any well-maintained core unit.  
  
When Kazuki realized that these units were the only line of defense against a much better equipped Elev force, he wondered how they had survived as long as they had.  
  
"By sheer determination, I assume." Persephone's almost pristine condition, in comparison, was like night and day.  
  
"She's right, Kazuki," Dee replied, frowning slightly. "If it weren't for their desire to survive, the Adome of this world would have been wiped out centuries ago."  
  
"I'd like to think that it was a little more than just determination, myself." Faran approached the couple, looking up at Persephone's exterior as he continued, "You have an interesting unit here, I must say. Our scans say it isn't Adome, but it isn't Elev either. It's missing many key components that an Adome or Elev unit would possess and it also seems to be a mere imperfect copy of one of our units."  
  
Persephone: "Imperfect? I'll show this little one imperfect..."  
  
"Persephone! Calm down," Dee quickly chided her core unit. The last thing they needed was a pilot-less core robot ripping apart an Adome base.  
  
"Persephone? Is that its name? Intriguing."  
  
Kazuki simply glanced back and forth between the two, deciding that it was best to remain out of the conversation. As he did so, Kazuki reflected upon the events that had brought him and Dee to this point. He wondered why he and Dee were even able to have this conversation with the Adome leader, why they hadn't been killed immediately on sight, why the others approached Dee with such apprehension, and many other things that had up to that point remained unanswered.  
  
"... As interesting as this conversation has been, we must depart. Once we've exited the hanger, you will follow me. If your path strays from ours, we will destroy you immediately. Your core unit is no match for ours, so I suggest you follow closely. Understood?"  
  
Dee's eyes narrowed slightly at the thinly veiled threat, but nodded slowly. "Completely."  
  
"Then we're off." Faran turned for them and ordered his men to suit up, climbing into his core unit immediately thereafter.  
  
Dee muttered to Kazuki as they climbed into Persephone's cockpit, "Be careful, Kazuki. I have a bad feeling about this."  
  
Persephone: "We could sing songs as we travel. I still have your music files stored in memory, Dee."  
  
A wide smile instantly brightened Dee's face. "Yeah! Do you have any of my love songs saved?"  
  
"Of course." Persephone instantly began playing some insipid song popular with the young girls on Earth prior to the crew leaving their home world. Dee began singing along, bobbing her head back and forth as she did so.  
  
Kazuki rolled his eyes as he shut the door. "Great..."  
  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA  
  
Clotho: "Survey complete, Mena. No traces of Kazuki or Dee found. I do sense that Persephone was near, but I cannot determine where she went. It's almost as if she disappeared entirely."  
  
The desert's sands began swirling around Clotho as she returned to the planet's surface. Her external sensors had detected an increase in the intensity of the wind in the surrounding area since the team's initial arrival. The two Elev units returned to where Clotho had landed apprehensively. With their efforts yielding no results, the pilots were obviously afraid for their lives.  
  
"How did they disappear? Did she teleport again," Mena stared at the shifting sand on her display.  
  
"Um... Ma'am? Shouldn't we return to base before the sandstorm comes?"  
  
Mena snarled, "What sandstorms?"  
  
"The sandstorm that's approaching from that direction, Ma'am. During the winter months, sandstorms are quite frequent. We tend not to remain out for any extended period of time because of this. Most of our core units couldn't handle the strain."  
  
"We're not returning until we locate our targets."  
  
"But Ma'am!"  
  
A tentacle-like arm shot forth from Clotho's back, lodging itself inside the offending pilot's cockpit. The accompanying robot jumped backwards, barely avoiding the core unit's explosion and the fragments of metal and assorted parts.  
  
Clotho retracted her arm as her pilot's cold voice stated, "We're continuing the search."  
  
The frightened pilot of the remaining Elev unit simply replied, "Y-y-yes Ma'am..."  
  
Clotho: "I'm sorry to interrupt Mena, but I am detecting a strange power reading."  
  
"Show me!"  
  
The instantly external display's viewing spectrum changed, showing the movements of all of the power cells for any core unit that had been in the area recently. As she glanced to her right, Mena could see a large splash of red that had once been the Elev unit accompanying her. She also saw multi-colored images of the Elev units that had carried out the initial attack on the Adome camp along with three Adome units that had apparently intervened on the camp's behalf. The central gray image, however, was the one that caught her attention.  
  
"Persephone..."  
  
"Yes. I was able to track her progress up until this point." The area Clotho had mentioned was surrounded with a large box that quickly magnified that section of the screen.  
  
"What the hell," Mena's mouth dropped as the gray path ceased and a large burst of color signifying enormous power took its place.  
  
Clotho: "It matches the power signature from our prior encounter with Persephone. I believe we've located her, dear. However, Persephone's path leads straight into the on-coming storms. Perhaps we should wait until the weather is more accommodating?"  
  
A wide grin spread across Mena's face. "Take us there."  
  
Clotho: "Are you sure?"  
  
"NOW!"  
  
Clotho: "Plotting course. Shall I tell the other core unit to return to base?"  
  
"No, I will do that. We don't want our brethren knowing too much about you would we, Love?"  
  
Clotho: "I suppose not."  
  
Mena sighed contently, "I shall be rid of this little dust ball sooner than I had anticipated, it seems. Good. Kazuki-kun, I hope you're ready for your date..."  
  
FOOTNOTE:  
  
And thus, part 1 of Ageless Souls is complete. This originally was going to be just "Desert Heart", but due to the author's excessive imagination, he had to break it up into two parts.   
  
Will Mena find Kazuki? What tie does Dee have to the Adome of old? Who will survive? To find the answers to this and other shocking revelations, keep an eye out for the final chapter of "Dual! What is This Emotion, Love?": "Ageless Souls: No Turning Back". Coming soon! 


End file.
